


All of my unpublished works (An Organization Book)

by Pirate_Radio



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Cuphead (Video Game), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions, danganronpa au - Fandom
Genre: Multi, i don't know why anyone would wanna read this but have a ball?, literally just to sort out my old works for friends and myself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:14:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 42
Words: 53,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29332890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pirate_Radio/pseuds/Pirate_Radio
Summary: A place for me to sort my past OC works, as well as drabbles for friends into a chapter format for organization and reference.(Various OC's in this do NOT belong to me, and rather, are belonging to my friends, which will be credited.)
Kudos: 1





	1. "I Love You's"

**Author's Note:**

> "I love you" can come in many forms.
> 
> (Small prompts with various non-canon ships.)
> 
> Milk, Prince, and Cherubi are the only OC's in this owned by me! The rest belong to AU co-creators!
> 
> NSFW warning for the last drabble!!

"God, I love you."

Tulip looked up from her stack of microwave pancakes, mouth still stuffed. Cherubi stood leaning against the doorway, a gentle smile on her face as Tulip swallowed. Syrup still running down her chin, hair not yet brushed, glasses not on yet, an early morning wreck. And one that Cherubi couldn't help adore the beauty in as she watched Tulip give her a toothy grin.

"Good morning to you too, I guess." 

__  
  
"I love you." 

Sunny looked down at the man nestled against him, their bodies still bare from their "session". Milk, despite having had said it, looked asleep, his ear directly against Sunny's chest, breathing in tune with his heartbeat. Sunny was sure that the pale boy's legs were hanging off the bed to be positioned this way, but the sleepy boy barely seemed to care.

Sunny only cocked an eyebrow at the man surely still on his euphoric high. "I doubt you'll still have that sentiment tomorrow morning when you come down." He said it with a nearly playful tone, and Milk turned his head slightly and peaked a single eye open to look up at him.

"Don't be so sure." 

It was also said jokingly, and without waiting for a response, Milk turned his head back to rest against Sunny's chest. Sunny could only turn his head away as well, conflicted on how to feel about that.  
  
___  
  
"You can't go! Please, he didn't even kill anyone, we can't just throw him out!"

Eli had to be held back by Ciara and Athena as he watched Marcus be dragged by a long mechanical arm towards the airlock, tears rushing down his face as he struggled against the two attempting to stay in place.

Marcus could only look down shamefully, refusing to make eye contact as he was brought to the door.

"No! Please, please don't do this!"

Marcus began to feel his tears well up at Eli's screams, and he shook lightly as he looked back at the group from the airlock entrance. 

"Marcus, please don't go!! Please, don't leave me-"

"I love you-"

Eli's strangled cry was the last thing Marcus heard before he was ejected.  
  
___  
  
"I love you."

Brook whipped her head to look at the girl next to her, and chuckled lightly when she realized what she was doing.

"That's an awfully long sip you're taking, is it too hot?"

Poking fun at Athena hiding her blushing face behind the mug she had brought to her lips, she watched as she lightly jolted at the claim and suddenly set her cup down.

"It is a tad warm, yes."

Brook chuckled slightly, deciding to go further with her light joking. "Ah, so the steam must be making your face so red right now, right?"

Athena turned her head away, and Brook only looked at her adoringly.  
  
__  
  
"Oh, I love ya', Marc!"

Marc only sighed lightly at his surely drunk friend beside him, sitting down on the barstool next to him. 

"Sure you do. God, what did you even drink?" Marcus said, reaching over to grab Sunny's bottle, only for the yellow-clad boy to swipe it and hold it close.

"If ya' wanna see what it is, hc-, you're gonna need to drink it yourself!" He beamed, and Marcus only sighed. Oh well, curiosity sure did kill the cat.

"Alright, you got me. Hand it over."

Sunny only gave him a toothy grin before taking a swig of his alcohol, quickly whipping around and giving Marcus a kiss. Marcus, felt Sunny slip his tongue in, the taste of the strong alcohol invading his mouth causing him to lightly melt into the kiss.  
  
___

"Hey. . .I love you."

Arlo said lightly as he gave Eli a gentle smile, the sound of waves crashing against the shore beside them filling the silence after. He watched as Eli's face was covered in a blush, his freckles highlighted as he did so.

"Aren't we here so you can get some more candid shots? Not that I'm complaining, but focus, okay?"

Eli said gently, gesturing to Arlo's camera hanging loosely from his neck. Arlo only shrugged, now starting to blush himself.

"I know we're here for beach photos, but maybe I can get some of you too? The sun's glinting in your hair perfectly at my angle." He doted, and Eli began to fiddle with his ponytail.

"Sure, but I'm not photo-worthy." He turned back to looking at the water, and Arlo could only continue to stare as began to form his rebuttal. But Eli spoke again before he had the chance.

". . .And I love you too."  
  
___  
  
"-And the gummies for the little lady!" Sunny exclaimed, handing Tulip a pack of them as he gave her a light smile. He had gone on a snack run for a small study group, and though Tulip hadn't asked for anything, he made sure to grab her the type of gummies he knew was her favorite.

Her eyes lit up as she eagerly grabbed them and hugged them close. "Aw, thank you, Sunny! I love ya'!"

Sunny blinked down at her before letting out a light chuckle, trying to hide his blush. "That's quite the strong thing to say though, isn't it?" 

Tulip giggled at his sudden shyness, now nearly jumping onto him and hugging him, shoving her head into his side as she knew he began to blush harder. "Not if it's trueeeee~" She sang out, practically beaming.  
  
___

  
". . . Arlo?"

Arlo only looked at the floor as he sat with his knees to his chest, refusing to turn his head towards the man looking down at him

"Arlo, please look at me."

Silence.

"Oh, big bad Arlo suddenly decides to shut up for once? Why now, hm?"

. . .Still, silence. And Prince felt himself get more and more upset, now marching up to the sitting boy and grabbing him by his shoulder.

"Goddammit Arlo, what do want from me? An apology?"

Arlo now whipped his head around to look up at him, the bruise on his cheek now more prominent and Prince cringed slightly at the mark. He scowled as Arlo continued to blankly stare up at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"Fine. I'm sorry, Arlo, is that what you want? To hear that?" 

Arlo shoved Prince's hand off his shoulder, now standing and glaring into Prince's eyes. "Go find someone else to make your punching bag."

Now walking past Prince, he sighed as he attempted to walk away. He recoiled when he felt Prince's hand on his shoulder again, whipping around and shoving the man away. Prince let himself fall to the floor from the force, now looking up at Arlo, desperation bleeding from his eyes.

"Arlo, I'm sorry. Please stay with me."  
  
Arlo growled, only turning away again.

"Please! You're the only person I have left Arlo, please don't leave me alone, please don't leave me. . ."

Arlo didn't know why he felt so compelled to stop and turn back to look at the man. He didn't feel an inch of sympathy as he watched Prince began to cry, still crumpled on the floor weakly. Arlo refused to respond, spitting to the floor in his direction and walking away.

"Arlo, please! I love you Arlo, please, please don't leave me!"

Arlo felt himself stop short, but refused to look at the sobbing Prince again. He brought his hand to his bruised face, touching it lightly before slamming the door behind him.  
  
___  
  
"I love you."

Cherubi felt herself cringe as she took a drag off her cig, zoning in on the conversation happening across the room from her. She watched as Kanaya giggled and blushed, hugging the girl that had said it to her. "Aww, I love you too, Ciara!"

Cherubi fought back a cough as she turned her attention back to the book she had been pretending to read, trying to listen back to Prince preaching some nonsense about tax returns. She just then realized that he was silent, and looking at her as she looked back at him.

"Yeah, I saw that. Must be rough, hm?" Cherubi only sighed, fighting the urge to puff smoke into his face. "Lay off, please." 

Prince only shrugged, looking at her cigarette. "Come on, are you a fool? You refusing to move on is going to metaphorically kill you. Almost as much as those are actually going to kill you." He said, beginning to cough lightly from her smoke.

"Sorry. . ."

She turned back to look at the two girls, beginning to smile slightly at Ciara's wide grin , loudly and happily talking to her girlfriend as she slinked an arm around the girl's shoulder.  
  
Cherubi then turned her gaze to Kanaya, wanting, praying that she could just feel happy for the shorter girl, smiling and still blushing. Cherubi felt herself tear up further, putting out her cigarette onto her thick astronaut suit sleeve, forgetting her tray. 

Kanaya, surely feeling her eyes on her, turned her head to look at Cherubi. The two locked eyes, and Cherubi felt herself have to restrain herself from the jealousy creeping up on her. Ciara must have felt her stare too, whipping around and glaring at both Cherubi and Prince.

"Hey, what's with the glare, man?" She prodded at Cherubi, pulling Kanaya closer to her naturally. Cherubi felt herself recoil, putting up her hands defensively. "No, wait, you've got it wrong-"

Ciara stood up, bringing Kanaya with her as she only continued to glare at Cherubi, and now Prince across from her. "Whatever. You two can go shove it." She said, and Kanaya looked back at the two before following Ciara out of the caf.

Once she was sure the door was closed behind them, Cherubi dropped her head to the table, sobbing and shaking lightly. Prince awkwardly look at her, not exactly sure what to do.

". . .That's your standards?" He quipped, now glaring at the door the cyan girl had exited. 

She brought her head up from the table, simply wiping her tears and attempting to stop her sobs as she lit herself another cig.

". . .Just be quiet."  
  
__  
  
"I-"

Prince's breath hitched as he shook slightly, clenching his eyes shut. 

"I love you-"

He was quickly cut off by a strangled moan he didn't know was coming, before completely feeling himself come to a halt.

". . .Oh?"

He felt Milk grab him by the shoulder, turning him now so that he'd be on his back. They met eyes, and felt a shiver go down his spine and he took in Milk's seemingly predatory smirk.

"Y'know, this is the only time I ever hear ya' say that, doll. . ."

He pushed his cock back into Prince from this new angle, leaning over the purple haired boy as he began to thrust into him again, now slightly deeper and faster than before.

"Only when I'm railing you like some lovestruck whore, you actually say that."  
  
Prince glared up at Milk, watching as he brought his hand closer and closer to Prince's dick. He felt himself let out a higher pitched moan as Milk began to stroke him, bringing his sharp teeth to the crook of the mans neck and breathing heavily against it. Licking and lapping at the sensitive skin caused Prince to shudder and let out a deep moan, shaking against the pale man.

". . .Let's see if I can get'cha to say it more, hm?"

Picking up his speed, Milk only grinned ferally as he heard Prince pant and gasp more and more, louder and louder as he felt him clench around his cock. Once Milk payed more attention to Prince's slit, using some of the cum leaking from his cock to stroke his head more, Prince couldn't keep up his composed silence anymore.

"I love you, please don't stop, please-"

"I love you,"

"Oh jeez, fuck, I love you-"

Milk's grin turned less feral and more genuine as he began to chuckle slightly at Prince's claims, wishing he could truly believe them. He only continued to please the shorter man, wishing to hear him beg more and more.

"I love you, oh god, I fucking love you. . ."  
  
\- - -  
  



	2. Tulip and Milk Convo Drabble (About Eli and Dream) Ft. Prince Texting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No coherent title for this one LMAO
> 
> College AU! SFW, just Tulip being the friend everyone needs <3

"C'mon Tu, don't you think it's a sign? Don't you believe in messages from the universe?"

"I think you're more deranged than usual."

Tulip popped another fry in her mouth as the tall man sitting across from her rambled on. "You having a dream doesn't mean he's into you, man."

Milk shrugged, taking another one of her fries from her tray. "No, you don't get it, this dream wasn't like, a normal dream, y'know?" 

"This one was special, I know it means something."

Tulip cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms, leaning against the table. "You dreamin' of cuddling him doesn't mean he's gonna fall out of love with pretty boy and fall into your arms instead."

Milk pouted in response. "Listen, I wouldn't have dreamed of somethin' like that if it wasn't a sign. I think the universe is tellin' me to shoot my shot!"

Tulip pulled her phone from her pocket, checking the time. "What's gonna make this time different from the others where he runs from the advances?" She asked, not looking up from her phone.

Milk crossed his arms. "It's a classic case of "playin' hard to get", dolly." He leaned forward in his chair, looking down at the girl across from him. "C'mon, there's a reason for everythin'. And that dream was too good to not mean anything."

Tulip sighed, clearly not getting through to the albino boy. "I think you're just giving yourself hope, Milky. It's gonna hurt less to throw in the towel now and just let him go." 

"If you say you really love him, dont'cha want him to be happy? He seems happy with Arlo."

Milk's face went blank, and he averted his gaze to the table, refusing to meet eyes with his friend. Tulip for a split second wondered if she had actually managed to convince him.  
  
But when he shot his head up, smiling wide, she knew she had failed to stop him.

"Eh, those two haven't even tied the knot yet, you know? I just gotta pull some strings, and I'll be on my way!"

Tulip gave him an exasperated look, and he simply beamed at her in response. "So, Tutu, you interested in bein' set up with Arlo? If I'm gonna get him outta the way, might as well try to get'cha a boo in the process."

Tulip wrinkled her nose in disgust at this. "I'll pass. But don't say I didn't warn you about this, dude. You can't crawl through my window sobbing later when your plan fails."

Milk stood up, smirking at the shorter girl. "Not to worry doll, there won't be a need to do that. Who should I try settin' up Arlo with, I wonder. And should I do that before I carry out my Eli catching plan? Oh, I've got so much to plan, and so little time!" 

Beginning to walk away, he waved lightly. "See'ya Tu! I'll snap ya' my plans in a bit!"

Tulip remained seated as she watched him walk away and out of the cafeteria, and she simply sighed once more before turning back to her phone. She swiped up, going to her contacts.

  
_"Can you give me Arlo's number?" It's an emergency"_

Thankfully, her contact was a fast texter.

_"What kind of emergency would you ever want to involve that tool in?"_

She rolled her eyes.

_"One involving Milks delusions"_

_Read_

_". . ."_

_"So Eli has something to do with it, I presume?"_

Tulip tapped away.

_"Yep. If Arlo doesn't do something to tell Milk that he isn't giving him up Milk's gonna do something stupid"_

She could practically hear the man sigh across campus.

_"That would be a fun show, though, seeing him miserable."_

Tulip furrowed her eyebrows.

_"He's my friend"_

_"I'd rather he be hurt in a way where he won't try anything again, just let him get hurt once and be done with it"_

The man sending her Arlo's number caused her to smile brightly.

_"Don't tell him you got it from me. I expect to be re-payed for my service here."_

Tulip rolled her eyes, adding Arlo's number to her contacts.

_"Yeah, whatever you say."_

_"Thanks Princey"_

It only took a second for a reply to come in.

_"It's no trouble."_

_"And please refrain from calling me that."_

She tossed her phone back into her bag, scooping it up and standing. She'd text Arlo in a bit, she didn't have the mental energy for that at the moment. She strode out of the cafeteria, both a bit sad she felt she'd be contributing to Milk's heartbreak, but satisfied that at least if she told Arlo, and if he did something, Milk would give it up.


	3. Prince and Milk "Sleepover"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Milk has Prince over and they "bond".
> 
> College AU, SFW
> 
> They're my self-inserts so of course, they're dysfunctional. 
> 
> And Cuphead reference? Cuphead reference.

_"Still up for later?"_

Milk chuckled, looking at the snap on his hookup's unlocked phone. He quickly glanced back to the bathroom, where the guy had been for the past 5 minutes. Milk quickly made sure he was decent and looked at her profile. A heart next to her name? Oh yeah, this hookup was a cheater. Milk looked through his other recents. All girls with hearts next to their names.

Milk went back to the girl's snap, quickly snapping a pic of the bedsheet splattered with her boyfriend's cum, posing cheekily with a peace sign. 

_"Sorry babe, he messaged me lookin' for the hookup. I'm so so sorry you gotta deal with him, he lasted like 2 minutes lol. Anyways, my snaps @bigmilkytiddies, add me so I can send ya the screenshotted proof that he hmu lol "_

With that, he hit send and slid out the guy's first story window, adjusting his sweater as he jumped from the bush he landed it. He tossed the phone back through the window as he went, and pulled his own out of his jeans pocket. 

Tulip hadn't answered his texts yet. Or the 5 calls he made. All apologies, but it seemed she didn't wanna hear him pitying himself right now. He sighed, scrolling through his contacts. Right now Eli was the last person he wanted to be around, so he had to find a place to crash for the night. 

_'It's only 7:30, so I can probably find someone that's free.'_

After the last dissatisfying session, he didn't really want to be around a hookup. And he still felt as if he owed Tulip an apology. He scrolled back to his contacts, knowing who he planned on contacting preferred calling over text. He sat on a campus bench, slumping over and holding the phone to his ear.

It wasn't long before he heard the click of the call being picked up.  
  
"Heyyyyyyyy Rubi!"

"No, you can't come over."

Milk immediately frowned. "Damn, you already knew what I wanted, huh?"

He heard the girl sigh on the other end. "You know damn well Tulip doesn't wanna see you right now."

"That's not the only reason I wanna come over, I need a place to crash for the night. I don't exactly wanna see Eli right now. I take it Tulip told ya' what happened?"

"Yeah, she did."

That was all she said, and Milk continued to ramble. "Come on Rubi, simp squad! We gotta help each other out!"

The other end was silent. "Look Milk, I want to help you, but Tulip doesn't want to see you right now. I understand how it feels to be hurt like this, and I feel for you, I really do. But I'm not hurting Tulip like that."

Milk sighed. "Yeah, I get it. Please tell her I'm sorry. I know she saw I said it, but maybe she'll listen to you more." 

"I will. She'll get back to you when she's ready to talk. See ya'."

The hang-up tone rung through Milk's phone as he brought it away from his ear. 

He quickly weighed his options. He could try Sunny, but he didn't even know if he'd be home, or if his roommate would let him. Kanaya might let him stay out of the kindness of her heart, but if Ciara found out?

Milk cringed at the thought.  
  
The ding of a text being received caused him to look back at his phone. The contact name was a single purple heart, and he smiled brightly at this. 

_"Eli wanted me to let you know that he's staying the night over here."_

His smile quickly dropped into a frown. 

_"He couldn't let me know himself?"_

_Read_

_"He doesn't want to talk to you right now, he said."_

Milk felt a ping of pain sting his heart at that.

_"So, where r u then? Where r u gonna be for the night?"_

Milk at least sighed an easy breath knowing he could crash in his dorm for the night. 

_"In my dorm, where else?"_

Milk cocked an eyebrow at this. 

_"You really gonna wanna be in there with them?"_

_" You do know they fucked in ya'lls dorm, right?"_

Milk sat up straighter on the uncomfortable bench.

_"Trust me, I'm painfully aware of that fact. Neither has the decency to properly clean up their messes."_

Milk had to force himself to not think of how that might have looked.

_"I have full trust that they won't try anything tonight, considering Arlo's "state". They lack any other sense of decency though. As if I'd want to see them making out like lovesick fools."_

Milk wished he was Prince as he forced himself to stop thinking of how that might look.

_"U wanna come over? Eli ain't over here, you can spend the night."_

Some companionship might be nice, he thought as he watched Prince's "typing" bubble.  
  
 _"I'd rather spend the night freezing on a park bench."_

Milk chuckled at this, full well knowing it was probably the truth.

_"I won't bother you too much, my day's already been hell enough"_

_"You can take Eli's bed, it's nice and made and all"_

Prince's "typing" bubble popped up for a quick second before disappearing. It came back about a full minute later.

_"Fine. If you try anything funny, I'm breaking your fingers."_

Milk beamed, now standing from the bench. 

_"I'll be there in about a half hour. I don't take it you two have much in terms of food over there?"_

_"Nope"_

_"Fine, I'll pick something up. Goodbye."_

Milk chuckled at how stiff the goodbye text was, stuffing his phone in his pocket and walking back to his dorm. 

_'My sheets are still cumstained, I might wanna fix that before he gets here. . .'_

\- - - - -  
  
  
 _'That response wasn't too eager, was it?"_

Prince stepped out of the elevator and onto the third floor of the dorm building, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He hadn't told Eli and Arlo where he was headed, he simply made sure all his belongings of value were locked up and things tidy before heading out. They probably assumed he was going for a coffee run or something of the sort.

Sure, it sort of hurt when Eli watched him go but hadn't asked where he was going, but he couldn't figure out why. He wasn't part of that relationship, and his business was none of theirs.

So why did he wish that the blue-haired boy cared?

He now stood at his door, bringing his knuckles up and knocking quietly. He looked both ways down the hall, rather not having anyone see him going into Milk's dorm. He felt himself rock slightly on his heels, just wishing he'd be let in already.

He couldn't understand why he wished Eli had cared about his whereabouts. He couldn't understand why the idea of sleeping in his bed was so enticing. He simply hoped Milk wouldn't pick it up and rag on him for it.  
  
The door opened slightly, and Milk peered out, smiling wide. It just dawned on Prince how much more Milk loomed over him in comparison to the door. He now stood, waiting for Milk to open the door further.

"Are you going to allow me to come in and day now?"

Milk chuckled at his stubbornness, deciding to toy with him a bit more. "What's the password?~"

Prince turned on his heel, heading back in the direction of the elevator. "Okay, okay, fine. C'mon in."

Prince walked back and through the door, his stomach unsettled as Milk closed the door behind him. He had never felt like a mouse walking into a cat's den more, but tried to shake it off as he took in the room. It looked as if a direct line had been drawn down the middle of the room, one side being dramatically more of a chaotic wreck than the other.

"You can put your stuff wherever, I don't care."  
  
Milk plopped down on his desk chair, wheeling back under his bunk and powering on a gaming console on his desk. Prince took a seat on Eli's chair, pulling his homework from his duffle and starting to work on the sheet. 

He attempted to drown-out the sounds of Milk's game as he did his work. He found himself looking over to the pale boy, concentrated on shooting at two giant frogs on his screen. Prince couldn't help watch as Milk stuck his tongue out in frustration, swirling it as he would every so often smirk or scowl, and the purple-haired boy couldn't understand why he was so enamored by the sight.

Prince forced himself to look away as Milk let out a loud, still sexual sounding groan at a defeat. "Hey Princey, wanna help me out here?" He asked, not looking away from his screen as he re-started level. "I'll pass. And please don't call me that. Don't you have homework to do or something other than playing a dumb video game?"

Milk chuckled, re-focusing on his screen. "I don't have long to complete this game before the guy comes back for his Xbox. You'd be shocked with how much you can steal from a guy coming down from a euphoric high."

Prince sighed, trying to return his focus to the sheet in front of him. "Besides, imagine being a business major and doing business homework." Milk taunted, making his voice sound snooty as he said it.

"I can't imagine being a pathetic arts major." He returned, now putting his completed sheet back into his backpack. Milk paused his game, patting the beanbag next to him.  
  
Prince sighed, standing up and sitting down next to him, pulling his phone from his pocket. No notifications. Not that he was shocked, but he had been hoping Eli might message him asking where he'd gone.

"What's with the long face, doll?"

Prince looked up at Milk, and he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "Nothing. Don't call me that. Did you want anything to eat?"

Milk shrugged, shaking his head lightly. "Nah, I'm good. If you want anything, I ain't gonna refuse free food, though." 

Prince looked back to Milk's monitor as he resumed his game. "So, I wanted to ask ya' somethin'. . ." Milk trailed off, beginning to shoot at the boxing frogs again. Prince cocked his eyebrow, looking back to the pale boy. 

"You have the floor."

Milk didn't take his eyes off the screen as he began. "It wasn't until I mentioned Eli that you choose to come over. And the whole time you've been staying to his side of the room. Do ya' like him?"

"I'm not gay, Milk."  
  
Milk laughed audibly at this, changing his shooter as the frog on the screen morphed into a slot machine. "I wouldn't blame ya' if ya' did. 'Was just curious."

"No, I don't have a crush on Eli. Unlike you, I'm not foolish enough to be crushing on a taken man."

"Ouch. Are you saying you would if he wasn't taken, though?"

A "knockout" flashed across the screen as the frog-slot busted, and Milk turned his gaze back to the man sitting next to him. His glassy white eyes met with Prince's purple ones, and Prince looked away. 

"Yes. I'm sure I wouldn't."

Milk continued to look at the purple-haired man, now shifting on the beanbag.

"Whatever you say, pretty boy. 'You sure you don't wanna play? The batteries in my other controller should still be fine."

Prince scowled, watching as Milk walked his avatar to a new boss. "I'm fine. Video games are a waste of time, anyways."

The pale boy shrugged as the new boss, a flower, roared on the screen. "Okay, old man. Kinda' shocked you ain't snooping around Eli's shit and are watchin' me instead."

"I could care less about his business." Prince retorted, and Milk simply smirked, quickly reverting his eyes back to Prince. 

"Sure didn't sound like it when you were eagerly takin' the offer to sleep in his bed."

Prince cringed, forcing himself to look directly at the screen instead of at Milk.

"Shut the fuck up."

\- - - - -

"Are you going to be going to bed soon?"

Milk looked up from his phone and over to Prince, who was rooting through his bag. "It's only 9:00." Milk responded, and Prince cocked an eyebrow at him. "That doesn't answer my question.'

Milk shrugged, setting down his phone and cracking his back as he leaned backward. "Are you tired?"

"Not entirely, but I'd like to get prepared for bed. Do you have a bathroom I could use?"

"No, we usually shit on the floor."

Silence.

"Only other door in here. Feel free to use anything you need."

Prince sorted through his bag, then a second time. "You lookin' for something?" Milk questioned, looking over to the crouching boy.

_'He hasn't came anywhere close to my bag, yet my pajamas aren't here. . .'_

"No." He said, refusing to admit he forgot them. But now he hadn't a reason to go to the bathroom, since he only planned on getting changed, so he was sure he looked the fool.  
  
"If ya' need to borrow anything, I don't have a problem with it."

"I forgot my pajamas, but my current clothes will suffice." He admitted, plugging his phone in. Milk chuckled. "You can borrow some stuff, dude." 

Prince was about to retort when Milk cut in. "Do ya' want to borrow Eli's? They might fit better than mine, anyway."

Prince stopped short, simply glaring at the cheerful man. He hated himself for even thinking of taking the offer.

"I'm going to pass."

Milk stood up, heading over to his laundry pile and rooting through it before chucking a black hoodie and grey sweatpants at Prince, who caught them barely. "They're mine, like I actually own them. 'Didn't take 'em from anyone and they're clean I think. You're free to use them."  
  
Prince looked down at them, inspecting them for a quick second before sighing. His dress shirt and black jeans weren't the comfiest for sleeping, he supposed.

"Thank you. You've caught me unprepared, and I'll be sure to re-pay you for stepping in to help." Prince said, feeling sick as he did. Milk blinked at him blankly. "Dude, it's just clothes." He stood up, tilting and cracking his neck. "But I guess I don't mind havin' ya' indebted to me or whatever."

Milk peeled off his T-shirt, tossing it over to a pile in his corner of the room. Prince couldn't help but stare. Milks ribs could clearly be seen through his skin, medically stitched scars running up his entire top half, specifically over his vital organs. 

It was when he started to peel his jeans off that Prince forced himself to stand and turn away, heading for the bathroom. "That's kind of' gay, not gonna' lie." Milk taunted, watching as Prince refused to turn to look at him, now in his underwear. At least he had chosen to wear actual boxers today.

"There's nothing deciding about my sexuality to refuse to want to see another in such a state of undress. Please tell me that when I come out of this room, you'll be more clothed?"

Milk had to laugh at this. "Ha! No."

Prince sighed as he stepped into the bathroom, making sure the door lock clicked as he closed it behind him. 

_'I'm going to kill those two for putting me in this situation.'_   
  


\- - - - -

Prince set his clothes neatly back into his bag, now wearing Milk's clothes. After his second thorough inspection, he still hadn't found anything wrong with them. The sleeves were far longer than his arms, and the hoodie went nearly to his knees, but at least it was well insulated and warm enough.

  
The sweatpants barely clung to his hips, since he was so much smaller than the pale man toying around on his phone on his beanbag chair. He had rolled them up, yet they continued to unroll and drape onto the floor, where he had to be careful not to trip over them. 

He stood up, done setting his stuff in his bag. Feeling eyes on him, he turned his head to find Milk blankly looking at him, face unreadable. Prince then decided he hated it when he couldn't discern whatever it was the pale male man was thinking or feeling.

Prince turned his head away, deciding he wouldn't ask into it. He simply clambered up the ladder, laying on Eli's bed. "Can you get the light?" He asked, simply staring up at the ceiling. He heard Milk stand, and walk towards it. "Yeah, no prob."  
  
Prince turned to face the wall, feeling utterly wrong as he snuggled farther into Eli's sheets. The man could only curse at himself for how intoxicating the smell of them was, and how at ease he felt. 

He jolted slightly as he felt the bed shift, and heard the ladder creak, turning over to see Milk clearing the top easily.

"What the hell are you doing? I'm in the correct bed, no?" He scooted away and Milk plopped next to him, practically rubbing up against him. Prince felt utterly repulsed being so close to the nearly naked man.

"I never said which bed I'd be in. I just said that you could be in Eli's, right?"

Milk's smirk was met by Prince's glare. Prince thought about getting up and walking out, and Milk's smile quickly melted away. 

"Please stay here with me?"

Prince squeaked as Milk wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close and against his chest. "Milk. . ."

"Let go of me."

He was met with silence and refusal to look into his eyes.  
  
"Please let go of me, Milk."

Milk only held him tighter. With that, Prince's nose angrily twitched, and he ripped himself out of Milk's grip and sat up.

"Oh no, I know what you're trying to do."

Milk looked up at him, face utterly blank. No readable expression crossed it, no glee, no guilt, nothing. And it utterly pissed Prince off.

"I'm not just a rebound to get over Eli, you aren't going to use me like that." Prince spat, leaning against the wall in an effort to get away from the pale man at this point. Milk, now sitting up, cocked his head.

"That's not-"

Before he knew it, Milk felt Prince's hand slap across his face, and he winced from the impact. "Save it. I don't want to hear it."

"No, Prince, listen to me-"  
  
Milk caught Prince's fist barely, and he held it in place in front of his face. Prince gritted his teeth, his fist stuck in his grasp. 

"I know what you're thinking, and it ain't it, I ain't tryna' sleep with you to get over it-"

Prince opened his mouth to angrily retort, and Milk decided he had enough. Overpowering the smaller boy, Milk took hold of his other fist, now pushing him down into Eli's mattress and forcing him to look up at him.

  
"Listen, before ya' make me shut you up! I'm not trying to get into your pants Prince, just listen to me!"

Prince glared up at him, obviously knowing he couldn't overpower Milk in this situation. But at least he remained silent. 

"I already tried that, and I've gotten nothing out of it. No good. I feel worse after a decent lay, because, yeah, it wasn't him."

Silence. 

"Look, I had this dream, and in it, Eli and I were cuddling-"

"-I'm not Eli. You can't try to replace Eli with me. It's not going to help you any." Prince retorted, now trying to force Milk to release his wrists. He refused to budge. 

"I just thought, maybe that's what I was missing. That dream, that's the best dream I've ever had. That's all I want, do you know that? I just wanna be held by someone that cares, and fuck, I thought, "Hey, I know he doesn't care, but maybe it's the being held lovingly part I'm missing?"

Prince flinched lightly as Milk's tears began to fall, one directly onto the man below him's cheek.

"You're delusional."  
  
"I know." Milk choked out, beginning to sob. He let go of Prince's wrists, now dropping to his chest and laying on top of him, wrapping his arms around the smaller boys' shoulders. "But I don't have that. I never will. No one's ever gonna' love me like that, so I thought I could fake it until I made it, you know?"

Prince sighed, finding himself still trapped under Milk. "You still can't use me to try to feel affection, Milk. I don't love you." 

He felt Milk sniffle against his chest. "I know."

Prince angrily gritted his teeth. "Then why would you even try? I'm not your little affection experiment."

Milk now looked up into the purple eyes he found glaring at them. He sighed, not knowing why he expected to find any sympathy in them anyways. 

And yet, he refused to let go. He clung to Prince for dear life, nestling his head against his chest again and trying not to cry.  
  
"Answer me, Milk. Why would you bother? Why on earth would you look to me, of all people, for what you're missing? I could care less about anyone, I'm literally awful for this."

Milk refused to respond.

Prince sighed from above him. "You're that desperate, hm?"

Milk refused to meet eyes, simply hiding his face against Prince's chest.

And then, a chuckle. And laughing resonated above him.

Milk looked up at the man now laughing like he'd been told the funniest joke in the world, tears stopping out of pure confusion. Prince had to hold in a snort. "Oh man, really? You're such a desperate attention and affection whore that you'd try me? _Me?"_

Milk gulped nervously as Prince grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at him. "I could wrap you around my finger, and for what? Me to hold you? That's rich. Truly rich."

"I would. In a heartbeat." Milk responded, causing Prince to snort. 

"You do realize I could give a shit less about you and anything regarding you, correct?"'  
  
Milk nodded.

"You're pathetic. Like a beaten, loyal lapdog always coming back to their master."

"Yeah, I know."

Prince's smile slowly faded as he cocked an eyebrow at him.

"And you accept it?"

Milk nodded against his chest.

"I'm too tired to say otherwise, and even if I deny it, if it means I get to rest against a pretty boy like you and feel like I just might be meaning something to you, I'll go with it."

Prince simply blinked down at the pale man cuddled up to him. 

"I think I'm gonna make you my new project."

Prince felt all glee leave him at that. "Because, and you're gonna admit this, you're just like me. We both want affection, and we both liked him because he's everything we're looking for."

A scowl crossed his face. "The fact you'd call me anything like you is insulting. And I've already stated, I feel nothing for Eli."

Milk just gave an exasperated "mhm".  
  
"I think I'm gonna try to get you to the point where you're finally admitting how much of an affection whore you are, and to me of all people."

"I wouldn't count on it."

Milk shrugged. "Real telling of the fact you're just letting me cuddle up to you at this point."

"You said you were tired. I'm the same."

Milk had to chuckle at this, closing his eyes with a sense of being somewhat satisfied. 

"And, just so you know. . ."

"I'm not just switchin' projects or whatever's runnin' through that pretty little head of yours. Just 'cause Eli gave up on me isn't why I'm tryin' for you."

It was Princes' turn to chuckle. 

"I'll scare you away, to the point you'll want nothing to do with me. . . Everyone eventually runs from me. Just you wait."

". . .That's kinda kinky."


	4. Prince and Milk "Sleepover" (Part 2) During the Night))

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milk gets to monologue.

  
A light snore jolted Milk from his sleep, and his eyes fluttered open slowly as he shifted. He had trouble taking in his surroundings with how dark it was, so he assumed it was either extremely late or still rather early. He hadn't the energy to check the exact time, so he sighed. Might as well try to fall back asleep.

Until he felt a smaller body on top of him move, and Milk looked down to see Prince nuzzling against his side. Milk lightly tapped him on the head once. No response.

_'Damn, he's out.'_

Milk gently pulled the smaller boy closer, not sure when he had shifted positions in the first place. Milk turned over, now facing the man turned on his side.

It was the first time Milk had ever seen him without a stressed or otherwise upset expression. His mouth agape, he snored lightly again, and Milk had to repress a chuckle.

_'He's kind of ugly. . .but like, an ugly dog. He has weird cuteness, kinda. . .'_

Milk sighed, sinking his head into Eli's pillow further. Just the scent alone caused a pang of sadness to shoot through his heart, and he simply looked down at the smaller man next to him sadly.

_'I wonder, if he did like ya' back, would I hate you?'_

_'I don't hate Arlo, I think. . .'_

_'I can't just capitalize on his punchable face because he won. . .'_

Milk didn't like being this distressed over a relationship, of all things. 

_'Maybe if I slept with Eli, I'd get it out of my system? Maybe the attraction would go away?. . .'_

_'No, it'd only get worse. . .'_

Prince shifting in his sleep again sent Milk out of his thoughts, and he closed his eyes in frustration. All he could do was hold the man closer, lightly petting at his hair. 

He gently pulled on one of the bouncy strands, giving a light smile. 

_'Don't pretend it's Eli. . .'_

_'Don't pretend it's Eli, goddammit. . .'_  
  
_'Prince is the farthest fucking thing from Eli, and you still wanna project?'_

He looked back at the sleeping man. It was weird to see him seem so vulnerable, mouth agape, and blissfully off in dreamland. 

_'I wonder what you'd even dream about. . .'_

_'Would ya' ever dream of me?'_

_'Have you dreamed of Eli, too?. . .'_

Milk sighed. _'Am I really the only one of us this shaken over this? I know ya' like him too. Why aren't you as affected as me? Which one of us is in the wrong here?'_

Milk felt his upsetness with the purple-haired man slowly melt away as he nuzzled closer against his chest, curling up slightly as he did.

_'Maybe you are closer to being like Eli than I thought. If you hated me as much as you say, we wouldn't be like this. . .'_  
  
_'No. . .no, you're nothing like Eli. Either you aren't, or I don't want to believe you are, for my sake.'_

Milk simply pulled him as close as he could without waking him up. He was warmer than he thought he would be. 

_'Would Eli be like-'_

_'-No, stop it. You can't compare him to him. . .you can't, because if you do, you'll like him and lose to someone else again, too. . .He's nothing like Eli, just forget it.'_

Milk simply forced his eyes shut, trying to drift back into sleep from his stressed-out thinking state. He couldn't hate someone more than he hated Eli at that moment, but for what? Making him feel loved, and feel needed? Like someone out there actually wanted him around and cared? 

_'Fuck you, Eli. . .'_


	5. Prince and Milk "Sleepover" (Part Three) The Morning After))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The morning after is always the hardest part.
> 
> (Not NSFW frequently means "suggestive" at the very least, for future reference.)

_'I genuinely don't know if I should be sobbing or busting a nut right now. . .'_

Milk leaned over the sink, eyes bolting around the bathroom. He didn't have any clothes lying around, so he'd have to leave it to get dressed. He just needed an escape, to be able to plan his next move.

He couldn't pinpoint why Eli's caring wakeup meant so much to him. It was like seeing an ethereal sight, watching as the sunlight from the newly drawn curtains hit Eli's face perfectly. Milk felt ready to vomit from the sight.

He knew he had to get over Eli, but he wished every morning, he could wake up to Eli like that. He forced a sigh, trying to get it out of his system. 

_'I wonder if he looks pretty when he sleeps. . .If he's a cuddler. . .maybe next time, I should try to watch. . .'_

Milk now looked back to himself in the mirror. The stress from all this had been causing him not to sleep the best, and eyebags were starting to lightly form under his eyes. He then noticed that his chest was still wet, drool from Prince no doubt.

He swiped his thumb over it, a thick layer coating it. 

He hadn't a clue why he felt the need to project Eli onto Prince, or anyone else for the matter. He brought his thumb to his mouth, swirling his excessively long tongue around it, cleaning it of Prince's drool. 

_'Don't think of Eli, it's not that hard. . . When you go out to get dressed, try to repulse him. Maybe go out naked? There's no way he'd possibly like it, he'll try to distance himself more. . .'_

He now looked down at his hand, watching as his own spit trail lingered from his finger. 

_'Don't think of Eli. . .'_

He wondered how worked up he could get Eli under his tongue.

_'Don't think of Eli. . .'_

He forced his eyes shut, and yet, all he saw flashing in his mind was Eli's gentle smile, light gently cascading and hitting it.

 _'Don't think of-'_  
  
He opened his eyes, looking down.

_'-Fucking Eli.'_

His dick was becoming rock hard in his boxers. He sighed, already knowing what to do. 

_'Don't think of Eli, think of literally anyone else. . .'_

His words didn't stop him from doing so as he began to relieve himself.

\- - - - -

Arlo looked up from packing his backpack as the door clattered open, Prince coming through the door, seemingly out of breath. He closed the door harshly behind him, immediately walking towards his closet, seemingly not caring about Arlo's eyes following him.

"You look like a wreck."

Prince refused to turn to meet eyes with Arlo, simply pulling an outfit from his closet. Arlo noted how his already unruly hair was messed up incredibly, and wearing clothes he had never seen before. 

"I'm assuming Eli and you stayed clean, correct?"

Arlo simply blinked at him. "Yeah, don't worry, we didn't do anything. No need to get your panties in a twist."

Prince now turned to meet eyes with him, and after a slight second, turned away, seemingly believing the white-haired man. "Thank you."

Arlo wasn't sure why he had thanked him, simply chalking it up to not wanting to worry about a mess. "What about you, did you finally get some attitude literally screwed out?"

Prince blinked, furrowing his eyebrows. "No. No, I didn't."

"Your glasses are gone, you're wearing clothes that aren't yours, and you have the sex hair goin' on."

Prince, who had been making his way towards the bathroom, simply stopped dead in his tracks, turning to glare at Arlo. 

"For your information, no, I wouldn't do something like that. Between the two of us, I'm the only one with my decency still intact."

Arlo cocked an eyebrow. "What were you doing then?"

"That's none of your business, but to clear me of suspicion, I'll leave it at this; I was simply doing my homework in the peace of an affiliates dorm. Though I suppose your free to believe my intentions were not clean, however, I assure you, I'm being genuine."

Arlo shrugged. "Whatever you say, man. I'm heading out, I'm gonna be a bit late back later."

He slung his backpack over his shoulder, heading for the door.  
  
"Do I have the right to inquire about your whereabouts later, as much as you interrogated me?"

  
Arlo sighed. "I'm goin' on a date. Something you'll never do in a lifetime. Anyways, I'm gonna be back at about 8:00, so please don't bring whatever "affiliate" you have over to be gross with. Thanks."

Arlo shut the door behind him, and Prince stood for a second, annoyance radiating off him. He realized he had not only left his glasses in his hurry, but his watch as well. He sighed. That cost more than Milk's life, if he tried to make a quick buck off it, he'd personally dismember him.

He walked into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door behind him since his roommate had given him the privacy of the dorm alone. He cringed as he looked at himself in the mirror. He really did look like a wreck and he was thankful that no one seemingly saw him in this state on his way back to the dorm.

He attempted to get his hair back into an orderly fashion, then stripped of Milk's clothes and neatly folded them. Seeing Milk again was the last thing he wanted, he'd simply see if he could get Eli to return them.

As he dressed, he thought of what he said to Arlo. He was truly thankful the two hadn't gotten frisky in the dorm, and Prince cringed, already knowing the actual reason why. He hated it with every inch of his being.  
  
It wasn't the mess from it he feared, no.

_'If Eli's going to be making that mess, why do I want to be the cause of it?. . .'_

_'. . .Disgusting. . .'_

He quickly attempted to shrug the thought away as he pulled his turtleneck over his head, now fully dressed and heading back into the main area of the dorm. He pulled his schoolbag from under his bunk, placing his homework from his duffel and sliding the folder into his school satchel.

He then thought again to how pretty Eli had looked, partially looking over him, light from the window causing his eyes to seemingly glow and hair to glint perfectly.

He looked practically angelic.  
  
Prince sighed over his lack of an extra glasses pair, squinting slightly. He wasn't blind without them, but he knew attempting to see anything on the board today during his lecture would be useless. 

He pulled his trench coat over his shoulders, grabbing his bag once he had it on. He looked over to Arlo's bunk, knowing that barely an hour ago, Eli had been resting there. He didn't know why that hurt so bad. 

He then looked to Milk's clothing stack he had placed on his desk chair. He grabbed the hoodie, cursing to himself for hating what he was about to do.

He simply buried his head in it, the smell too comforting. Way too comforting. It smelled like faint smoke, the cheapest cologne on the market, and slightly musty. He didn't understand why the hell it comforted him. He didn't understand why Milk had comforted him.

He didn't understand why he was slightly upset to not wake up and have Milk there. Where had he gone, why did he run off so quickly?

He tossed the hoodie back onto the chair, slightly shaking his head. This was way too much, neither Eli nor Milk were exactly the prime examples of a good suitor. Besides. . .

_'I'm not gay.'_   
  



	6. Sunny and Prince Conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explicit in nature. Literally a convo about anal sex.

"What does it feel like to receive?" 

Sunny looked up from his teacup, looking at the purple-haired boy sitting next to him. "In what way? That could mean a lot of different things." Sunny simply responded, watching as Prince took a sip of his own tea and sighed.

"Anal sex, Sunny. I'm asking about anal sex."

Sunny blankly blinked at him, watching as he kept his gaze trained on his teacup. "Why do you ask?"

Prince looked around the café, deciding it was empty enough to ask further. "Simply curious. And I don't trust any websites on the matter, considering most are either fabricated or pay the people on them to say things to fit their narrative. What's your experience with it been like?"

Sunny chuckled at this. "No, no, I'm wondering why you're asking in the first place. What, you got a hookup planned or something?"

Prince's face morphed into one of disgust at this, and he simply adjusted his glasses. "Absolutely not. As I said, I'm simply curious."

Sunny shrugged. "Whatever you say, dude. How do I put this. . ."

He squinted as his cup for a second before snapping his fingers, having come up with a way to describe it. "It's like when you're eating something that's really good but way too hot, the first time anyways. Like, you'll burn your tongue and be in a bit of pain, but then it's really good and you can just eat it happily, I guess. For a lack of a better metaphor."

Prince now looked to him, expression unreadable. "Alright, understandable."  
  
Sunny cocked an eyebrow. "That's all? I thought you'd be saying "that's gross" or something."

Prince simply shrugged, taking another sip from his cup. His glasses fogged slightly, un-fogging as he set his cup down once more.

"Don't get me wrong, I still think it's gross. I'm just saying I understand how you're trying to explain it to me."

Sunny took another drink of his. "I'm just saying dude, it's okay if you're asking because you wanna try. I'm the last person that should be able to judge you for that."

Prince shook his head. "That's not it. I'm not gay-"

"-For the last time, Prince, you don't need to be gay to get it up the ass. Plenty of straight couples do it."

Prince whipped his head around, thankful no one had seemingly heard the blonde boy. "Please, keep your voice down."

Sunny blinked exasperatedly at the man. "Well, you know what they say. Experience is the best teacher."

Prince confusedly glanced at him. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

Sunny sighed. "Give it a shot. Maybe from experience, you'll see you like it. Or that you like guys. Plenty of guys that like guys find it out that way."

"I'm not above helping you with it."

Prince cocked an eyebrow. "You don't mean. . ."

Sunny playfully winked.  
  
Prince scooted farther back from Sunny at that, and the yellow-clad man simply chuckled. "Sunny, I wouldn't sleep with you even if we were the last lads on earth."

Sunny playfully frowned. "Oh well. I got plenty of other people begging for me."

Prince felt himself nearly gag. "I don't want that visual."

"Now, let me ask you something, would you let a girl take you that way?" He asked, leaning against the countertop. Prince shook his head in response.

"Absolutely not. Girls repulse me in that way."

Sunny blinked. "Well, would you let Eli?"

Prince furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean by that-"

Sunny rolled his eyes. "-Answer the question. C'mon, it's not hard to see you're at least a little whipped for him."

". . .It's that obvious?" 

Sunny smiled lightly. "So you admit it?"

Prince crossed his arms. "If you tell a soul, I won't hesitate to ruin your life. Don't doubt that I have that ability."  
  
"Besides, it's useless to respond to that. Eli already is in a committed relationship; how I feel is irrelevant." 

Sunny shrugged. "Well, are there any other guys you'd let do that? I ain't no snitch."

Prince thought of the times he had been forced to watch Arlo undress, then his mind flashed to being in bed with a half-naked Milk. 

". . .I don't know."

Sunny drunk down the last of his tea. "Well, consider what I said about experimenting. You don't have to have had found your soulmate or whatever to sleep with someone."

"And you have my number. I wouldn't mind seeing if I'm right about how I think you'd be."

Prince remained silent, before standing from his barstool. "I'll pass. Thank you for your words of wisdom, as indecent as they are. I'll cover your bill, as well."

Sunny nearly snorted, watching Prince walk to the cashier. "Whatever you say, man."


	7. Milk Childhood Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing anymore but a lost memory.
> 
> (For reference, Stu/Stuart = Milk).

_"Now they'll let me play with them for sure!"_

Bolting out of the chapel, the small boy began to dart through the snow, joining his peers in the schoolyard. Snow gently fell, and he giggled slightly as it tickled his nose. He yanked his thin donated jacket tighter to him, running up to a dramatically taller boy in the corner of the play space.

"Tony! Tony," He breathed heavily, chest heaving from the rapid sprint as he looked up to the taller, older boy.

"I did it, I-"

The boy cut him off by taking a step closer, the four boys he was with watching as he did so.

  
"Didn't I say earlier to get lost? That applies right now, go away, kid."

The boy only pouted, going on.

"But you said that if I made recess last forever, you'd let me play space wizards and astronauts with you! I did, I did it!"

The taller boy cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?"

The white-haired boy rapidly shook his head "yes" in response. "Yeah! I-"

Tony only smirked, turning to the other grade-schoolers and cutting off the horned boy as he spoke.

"You know what? Okay Stu, you can play with us."

Stuart could feel happiness flood over as he began to jump up and down happily. 

"Thank you! Thank you so much, just tell me who I get to be and I'll do it!"

He didn't notice the mischievous glint in the boy's eyes as he stepped closer again.  
  
"You get to be the alien."

He felt disappointment wash over, knowing he had to be the villain.

"Please, whenever you make me the villain, it hurts. . ."

Stuart squeaked as an older boy picked him up from behind, nodding at Tony.

"But you look just like a space alien!" The boy knocked on one of his horns, and he winced.

"Ugly devil horns, and your eyes too. . ."

The pale boy cried out as he felt his arms restrained and the boy grabbed and turned one of his eyelids out to inspect the pale, glazed over iris.

"Perfect space alien! And I know just how to beat him."

The boy began walking towards the back of the school, 2 of the boys with him and the boy carrying Stuart following. 

"Hey, I know what you're planning, and don't you think it's a bit too much? I mean, don't you know how much trouble we-"

"Shut up, Trevor!" Tony yelled, leaving him behind as he sighed and ran up to the others, following. Stuart could only squirm in the boy's grasp, starting to cry.

"Please, I made recess last forever so I could play with you guys! Please let me be an astronaut, please don't hurt me again-"

The boy holding him held a hand to Stuart's mouth, shutting him up.

He had snuck up to the top of the belltower and jammed the bellringing machine for what? He just wanted to play, he didn't want this. . .

He panicked more as the boys took him to the very back of the school, knowing only the trash bins, well, and storage shed were back there.

"Please-"

His voice came out muffled, and he managed to struggle enough to free the hand from his face. "Please don't put me in the dumpster again, the rats huddle there during winter, please-"

He tried to blink away his tears as the snow only seemed to fall harder.

"No, we're killing an alien, not a normal monster! We gotta go to the black hole. . ."

Stuart was confused only for a moment before he watched Tony stop at the well. 

"Toss him."

" _No!_ Wait-"

As soon as the order was given, the boy hauling him chuckled and tossed him in.

Stuart attempted to grasp the slippery wall as he plummeted the 20 feet, a scream ripping from his throat as he felt his leg crack from the impact of hitting the nearly empty well floor.

The cold water inside went to his midsection as he sat, and he shivered aggressively, trying to ignore the pain coming from his leg.

He couldn't hear the boys that had carried him there anymore.

"Tony! Please, I'm sorry, please get me out! I'm sorry!"

"Anybody, please!"

"I just wanted to play, I just wanted to be your friend! I'm sorry!"  
  
He began to sob as he huddled in the cold well, praying someone would come to his rescue. It took a day for sister Mathilda to find him locked in the dumpster, how long would it take for someone to find him in the well?

_"I just wanted to be your friend. . ."_


	8. Does Prince Has Gay? (GC Convo + Prince and Arlo Convo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hear me out. . .he might be gay, just a little

The 'ping' of Prince's phone dinging repeatedly across his desk caused him to sigh, looking away from his assignment splayed on his laptop screen.

He gently picked up the phone, opening it and feeling annoyance leak into his system at being added to a group chat he hadn't requested to be apart of.

Watching the name of it change to "Sexy Bitches", he had to resist a facepalm. He quickly looked to the added list. 

Sunny, Tulip, Cherubi, and Himself. 

He already wanted to leave.

_"Ay he's here"_

He cocked an eyebrow at Tulip's text in the chat, watching Sunnys' 'typing' bubble bob.

_"Nice, nice"_

_"What is the purpose of this group chat? If it's irrelevant to me, I'll take my leave."_

He watched as Cherubi's typing bubble popped up.

_"No wait, hold on"_

He sighed at this, watching as the other three began to type.

_"This is a support group hold on, how were we gonna approach this"_

Cherubi stopped her typing, and Sunny typed up a response.

_"Okay so basically, Prince, we're helping you come out"_

Prince had to resist the urge to set down his phone.

_"Anyone else we were planning on inviting? Brook or Milk?"_

Prince cringed.

_"Nah, this is fine for now, maybe Brook later but not him"_

Sunny kept typing.  
  
 _"ANyways, this is a support group kinda"_

 _"Repression therapy "_ Tulip chipped in.

 _"And why exactly would I need that?"_ Prince asked, leaning back into his desk chair and tossing his good posture as he became more and more upset, making sure his work progress was saved before gently shutting his laptop.

 _"Our conversation the other day doesn't prompt this?"_ Sunny questioned, and Prince pouted.

 _"Oh worm?"_ Tulip asked. Cherubi stayed quiet, before entering the convo once more.

_"Listen Prince, we're here to help you. I'm pan, and Sunny is as well. Tulip's bi if I'm not mistaken. We're here to help you try to find yourself, we just wanna make sure you stay safe doing it"_

Sunny hearted the message, and Tulip added a _"periodt"._ Prince began typing his response once more.

_"I'm fine. I won't need this chat, thank you."_

He sent this, beginning to type once more.

_"For the last time, I'm not ga-"_

His typing was interrupted by the dorm door opening, and Prince quickly locked down his phone and set it on his desk, quickly fixing his posture.

He quickly attempted to look busy, grabbing his schoolbag and rooting through it trying to look like he was searching for something.  
  
Arlo paid him little attention, slamming his workout bag onto his bed and attempting to towel off his hair.

Prince hated whenever he would refuse to change or get cleaned up at the gym. For one, he stunk up the dorm, and two, he rarely cared about having the decency to change out of view out of the purple-haired boy.

Exhibit A, yanking off his shirt and tossing it to the corner of his room.

"Please assure me that you'll shower before bed? You reek."

Prince simply attempted to keep his eyes trained on the random assignment paper he had pulled, every so often allowing his eyes to dart to the shirtless man.

"Yeah, don't get your panties in a twist."

Arlo sat on his bed, still shirtless as he pulled his phone from his bag and began to type away.

Prince sighed, pulling his attention once more. 

"At least attempt to don a shirt, why don't you?"

Arlo cocked an eyebrow at the man aggressively attempting to look away.

"Too hot for that."

Arlo set down his phone, and Prince turned, meeting eyes with his roommate.  
  
"Besides, why does it matter? A shirt won't make me reek less."

Prince furrowed his eyebrows, not able to answer truthfully. He chose silence, turning away once more, but becoming tenser as Arlo stood up.

"If me not wearing a shirt makes you uncomfortable, it's fine to say it."

Prince whipped his head around, glaring at the shorter boy and standing up himself.

"It's not that. Just please put on a shirt or leave my line of sight. You repulse me."

Arlo had to hold back a chuckle, and Prince felt his confidence leak away.

"Ever heard of "gay panic"?"

With that, Prince had enough. He strode up to the smaller boy, wishing he had a shirt so he could yank him up and yell at his face by it.

"No. Even if I was, I'd rather sleep with a literal cow before I ever touched you and your ugly mug."

He hoped Arlo would get upset with this. Instead, he threw Prince for a loop, grabbing him by his collar and yanking him downwards so he'd meet his height.

"Oh, really?"

Their faces were far too close to touching, and Prince cringed as their foreheads met.

Prince was rendered speechless by how close he was, blinking blankly and unable to look away. Arlo smirked before letting him go, amused by how flustered it had made him.

"My points' been proven."

He shrugged, walking back and flopping onto his bed, resuming his texting.

Prince had to jolt himself back to reality, slowly making his way back to his side of the room and sitting down once more, grabbing at his phone expressionlessly and dazed. 

Sixteen missed messages from the group chat, the last being Tulip's _"Lol did he die or smthn?"_

Prince gulped, trying to get the embarrassment out of him. 

He felt nothing towards Arlo, but being that close to a strong cute guy should not have affected him as much as it did.

He shook his head, deleting his old text draft and resuming his message.

_"Even if I am even slightly homosexual, I don't need your help. It's appreciated but unnecessary."_

The last message from him was the notification that he had left the chat.


	9. Kanaya Meets Milk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More college AU FT. Milk developing another crush

_"Do I really need it this badly?"_

Kanaya sighed sadly, looking to the jar of jelly in her hands. She gave one more attempt at twisting the cap off, only to strain herself as it refused to budge.

_'Brook won't be back for another hour. . .'_

She pouted, standing up and beginning to pace, looking back to her unfinished PB and J without the J sitting open-faced on her counter. Help wasn't coming, and she had made too much sandwich to quit now.

"Ah!" She exclaimed, a lightbulb going off in her head. 

_'Eli lives next door, right? He might be able to help!'_

She gathered the confidence to ask as she strode out her dorm door, jar in hand and trying to push away negative thoughts of being a burden.

_'I don't think he has work right now, he should be here. . .'_

Now standing at his door, she knocked gently, leaning back on her heels, nervously clutching the jar. She hadn't a clue why she was so jittery. 

_'It's just Eli, no need to be worried. . .'_

After a good second passed with no response, her pout resumed at the thought he might not be there. She didn't want to knock a second time and seem rude, but she was extremely desperate for her sandwich. . .

Just as she brought her hand up to knock once more with a tad more force, the door swung open, but it hadn't been Eli who answered.

Instead, she found herself having to crane her neck to look up at the pale man who had answered the door. Shirt abandoned, Kanaya felt herself shuddering, looking at his scarred and ghostly pale self. She simply blinked, face expressionless as he seemingly waited for her to speak.

She perked up, and as she attempted to gather words, she noticed his horns from behind the doorframe, too tall to clear. Were they fake?. . .

"Uh,"  
  
She gripped the jar closer to her.

"I'm sorry, is Eli here?"

He cocked his head at this before chuckling slightly and shaking his head. 

"Sorry doll, he's gonna be gone for a couple of hours. Do ya' want me to leave a message or. . .?"

He now leaned against the frame, smiling slightly at the shorter girl. 

He terrified her beyond words.

"Oh! No, no, it's okay, um-"

He took a step back, looking down at her jar before holding it out to him.

"D-do you think you could open this?"

He now looked to the jar, gently reaching out as taking it from her. As their fingers touched, Kanaya felt herself slightly cringe.

He looked at it real quick, turning it and cocking an eyebrow.

"This expired three months ago, you cool with that?"

Kanaya felt herself blink as embarrassment washed over her. "I could swear Brook bought this last week. . ." She trailed off, nervously wringing her hands as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"Hughes? She's your roomie?" Milk laughed, and Kanaya looked back at him. "You know her?"

He smiled lightly. "She's friends with some friends. Anyways, do ya' wanna borrow some jam or do ya' want this still?"

Kanaya quickly shook her head. She hadn't known why, but she'd rather eat nails than trust food in this guy's possession. 

"Oh, it's alright! I'll just text her to get some more on her way back! Uh. . ."

She began to quickly walk back to her next-door dorm. "Goodbye!" She said quickly, waving slightly and flashing a nervous smile before closing and locking her door behind her.

"Do you-" Milk cut himself off, watching as she left. "-Want this back?" He looked back to the jam in his hands, shrugging slightly as he closed his door. Oh well. Expiration dates meant nothing to him, and free food was free food.


	10. Cherubi and Prince Convo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first step to acceptance is admittance.

"What's with the long face, nerd?"

Cherubi looked up from her book to Prince across her dorm, tapping his pen repeatedly against his paper in frustration, glaring down at it.

He sighed, setting down his pen as he became annoyed with it. 

"What are your plans for Thanksgiving break?" He inquired, still looking down at his paper.

She set her book down, sitting up. "Nothing much. Why?"

"You recall the Thanksgiving Gala held by the Stone family, correct?" He now looked over to her, adjusting his glasses.

She nodded, recalling having to help him prepare for it faintly. "Yeah?"

"My father is making me attend with a suitor this year, and I lack one."

Cherubi had to hold back a snort. "Before you even think of asking, no, I'm not pretending I am and going. For one, your father will be there, right? I'm still on the run from him."

"And two, I'd rather date a tree than I would even pretend to date you."

Prince now glared at her, and she smiled lightly.

"So, who's the unlucky lady you're planning on bringing?"

He shook his head. "I haven't one. Nor do I have any plans for having a wife in the future."  
  
She again laughed. "Jeez, whoever you date now you don't need to marry, dude. That's not how it works-"

He clenched his fists, and Cherubi quickly flinched as he rose. "No, you don't understand! I'm to be married and have conceived an heir by the time I'm 25, I only have four years left, or else I'm a disgrace to my family." 

He gritted his teeth, now recoiling as he acknowledged that she was scared. He sighed, plopping back down in her chair and refusing good posture from frustration.

". . .Well, food for thought, maybe you don't need to carry on the whole business? You already have enough money to begin your own empire so you don't need to worry about him, no?"

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "No, no, no one in any industry will agree to work with an independent company I may form if they understand that I've been shunned by father."

He crossed his arms, and Cherubi stood and begin to pace. 

"I still find it incredible that you claim to be straight and yet, act like this at the thought of finding a girlfriend."

"A guy wouldn't help me carry on the family lineage. . ."

Prince trailed off, refusing to look at the closest person he had to a friend and instead of looking back to his paper. 

"Prince. . ." 

Cherubi now blinked awkwardly, watching as Prince began to cry, tears dropping to his paper and staining it.

"I. . ."

She stood still, not sure how to approach.

"I'm a disgrace. . ." He stuttered out, now dropping his face to the desk.

Cherubi awkwardly set a hand on his heaving shoulder, not sure how to comfort him.

"Hey, you still have a couple of years left, you'll find someone, I'll try to help-"

"No!" 

She took her hand from his shoulder as he whipped around, removing his glasses as he glared at her teary-eyed.

"Girls repulse me. Yet, me being homosexual will only run me into ruin. Father will shun me, and my life will be all but ruined."

He sobbed lightly as he spoke, and Cherubi felt guilt leak into her system.

"Is that what you wanted to hear? You and others make such a show of wanting me to expose myself, unaware that doing so will literally ruin my life. If I can't have an heir, I'm useless to my family."

"Fine, I am homosexual. At the very least, I believe I am. Is that what you've been hounding me to hear?"

Cherubi awkwardly sat, and Prince embarrassedly turned away once more. There hadn't been many moments she'd seen him so upset.

"Prince, if your position in the family is keeping you from being a happy self, it's not good for you."

She tried to collect the right things to say.

"Listen, you're getting a degree in pursuing business, you can most definitely make it on your own. Just hang in there, okay? I'm. . .sorry, I'm not entirely sure what to say. . ."  
  
She trailed off, watching Prince attempt to stop his crying. He sighed.

"I understand your claims, but they don't hold true in reality."

"I'd rather live a lie than be shunned."

She furrowed her eyebrows, knowing he was in too stubborn a state to hear her out. 

"Do you want some time alone? This is my dorm, but I can give you some space if you need?" She asked as gently as possible, watching as he readjusted his glasses and rose. 

"I'm. . .going to head back to my dorm and sort this out. Thank you for the words." He said, refusing to face her as he walked out. 

"Stay safe. . ." She trailed off, watching the door close behind him.  
  



	11. Arlo and Prince Sick Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for mentions of vomiting, kiddos.

“Athena? Can you inform Mr. Ross for me that I won’t be at our first 3 lecture hours?”

Arlo blinked slowly, groaning as he turned his head to look over as he turned in his bed. Prince sat in his own bed, face flushed, looking miserable. His crown was replaced with a comically oversized icebag, partially draping onto his forehead.

“Thank you. I owe you, name your price when we meet when I’m healthy.”

As soon as Arlo attempted to sit up, he regretted it. A splitting pain shot through his head, and nausea rippled through him like a wave.

He gagged, panicking as he felt himself about to vomit. 

“Here.”

He looked over to Prince, already holding a spaghetti pot out to him. He yanked it from him, throwing up into it as he cringed from his head pain.

He looked up as he finished, groaning as Prince took the pot from him. “We have the same sickness, it seems.”

He set the pot in the median between their beds, and Arlo leaned back in his. “Do you need me to call anyone to excuse your absence today from class?”

Arlo sighed. “I’ll be fine-“ 

As he stood from the bed, he felt his legs weakly give from under him, and he fell straight on his ass. Prince sighed.

“Like hell you are. Who do you share classes with?”

Arlo brought a hand to his forehead, and Prince stood, approaching their freezer slowly.  
  
“My first 3 classes. . .photography, general arts, chem. . .” Arlo choked out, hating how scratchy his voice was as he did. “Milk. . .you know Milk. . .”

“Eli’s in my government. . . I’ll call him myself-“

With that, Arlo opened his eyes he didn’t even know were closed as Prince plopped an ice bag over his head, patting it in place once.

“So you’re well enough to call your boyfriend but leave me to call Milk?” Prince sneered, hobbling back to his own bed.

Arlo defeatedly nodded.

Prince sighed. “Fine.”

Arlo cringed, reaching for his phone as Prince scrolled through his own.

“It’s Prince. Arlo’s requesting I tell you to inform your professors he’ll be absent from his first three hours.”

Silence.

“He’s sick.”

“Please keep your voice down, you’re hurting my head.”

Another pause.

“-Can you give me a second?”

Prince set down the phone and looked to Arlo panicked.

“Bucket, bucket-“

Arlo realized quickly, handing the pot closer to him over to the pajama-clad man. He quickly vomited, and Arlo sighed, choosing to text Eli rather than call.

“Thank you for holding. No, I’m not “Arlo’s lapdog” for aiding him. He’s sick, as I’ve said.”

Prince sighed again, and Arlo continued to type away to Eli.

“Thank you Milk. I’ll repay you once I’m healthy, name your price. And please, keep it reasonable.”

With that, Prince hung up, snarling as he did so. 

“He said he’d put in word for you.”

Arlo nodded once. “Thanks.”

Prince lay back down without a word.

“So, what’re you feeling?”

Arlo sent his text before putting his phone down. “My heads the worst. Then nausea. And balance. And body aches.”

He sighed, and Prince began to root through the bedside table before handing him a small pill bottle.

“General painkillers. I already sent out an order for antibiotics, you’re welcome to take from my supply.”  
  
Arlo took the bottle. “Thank you. . .”

Prince nodded, laying back down.

“Let me know when you need a replacement for your icebag. I’ve prepped some extras for when it thaws.”

Arlo cocked an eyebrow, swallowing down some pills.

“I don’t need your help, I’m gonna be fine. . .”

Prince let out a weak chuckle as Arlo feebly coughed.

“Whatever you say.”

\- - - - -

“Eli’s stopping by during his lunch break, he asked if you wanted anything.”

Prince opened his eyes, shifting in his bed. “Please notify him that I don’t need anything he could retrieve me, though I appreciate the thoughtfulness.”

Arlo blinked at his over the top nature before typing a quick “he’s good” to Eli. 

“I’m going to dump the bucket if you haven’t a problem with it.”

Prince slowly stood, sniffling as he grabbed the pot which had already been swapped five times between the two.

“Be my guest.”

He ambled his way to the trashcan, dumping the contents of the pot before yanking out the bag and tying it, simply gagging from the smell.

“Next time, you’re on dump duty.”

“I don't care.” Arlo groaned, shoving his aching head deeper into his pillow as Prince made his way back to his bed.

“Strange. My head barely hurts at all, yet yours is this painful? I pity you. Would you like a new icebag, medication-“

“-Prince, I’d like for you to shut up for once and to get off my fucking back.” Arlo spat, turning away from the man. He scoffed.

“I’m only trying to help, but suit yourself.”

Prince now took off his glasses, setting them down on the table next to his bed and sighing lightly. He picked up his phone.

“I’m hardly in the state to eat currently, but I’m afraid we eventually will need to. Is there anything you’d want?”

Arlo slowly turned over, glaring at his suddenly overbearing roommate.  
  
“Any other day, you’d be telling me to piss off if I even looked in your direction. And now, you’re acting like a concerned overworked mother.”

“Please, my head hurts and your voice isn’t making it better. Shut. Up.”

Prince simply blinked before giving the middle finger silently, setting down his phone and staring at the wall before him.

“Petty asshole. . .” Arlo trailed off, at least enjoying the petty silent treatment.

The white-haired man shut his eyes in content, trying to catch a wink of sleep. He was awoken with a jolt by Prince shoving a thermometer in his mouth.

He opened his mouth to yell, and Prince simply wiggled the thermometer more. “I need you to put this under your tongue. Otherwise, I’m taking your temperature by your ass.”

Arlo's glare intensified as Prince was seemingly pacified by him allowing him to take his temp, his gaze trained on his mouth as he waited for the thermometer to finish its calculation.

“You have a small mouth.” He simply said, pulling out the thermometer as it beeped.

“And?” Arlo angrily said, and Prince turned the thermometer around so he could view it.

“100.3. A fever.”

Arlo scowled. “Tell me something I didn’t already know.”

“That means the current ice bag isn’t helping. I’ll give you a new one. And don’t stress about the thermometer, it’s box new. I haven’t used it.”

“Just leave me alone!” He exclaimed, attempting to get out of bed, only to hobble over as his legs betrayed him.

Prince quickly caught him slightly, sighing as he helped him stand and sat him back on the bed.

“Sit. You need to stay in bed.”

Arlo felt ready to sock him, but as he began to retort, Prince quickly stumbled away.  
  
He now walked back to the kitchen area, Arlo glaring at him as he walked away, taking a permanent marker and jotting “Arlo” on it in neat cursive as he set it in the sink.

“Prince, I don’t need your help, please just leave me be.” He reinforced, and Prince only shook his head as he pulled two new ice bags from the freezer.

“This is for both our sakes. The sooner we both eliminate our germ trail, the better off we are.” He said, holding a new icebag out to Arlo as he came near. Arlo swatted it away, and Prince weakly watched as it flew across the dorm room.  
  
“Too much movement-“

He cut himself off by vomiting once again Into the pot.

“Listen, just lay off a bit, okay?” Arlo spoke, tucking himself back into bed as Prince got up from where he’d been crouched on the floor.

“Despite our names, you’re the one acting like a spoiled little prince, don’t you think?” Prince jeered, seemingly having enough of trying to help as he sat back on his bed.

“With how your sickness might take course, I’m sure you’ll be begging for my help soon enough.”


	12. Arlo and Prince Sick Drabble (extended cut, NSFW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ili requested it; I delivered.

“I need you to put this under your tongue. Otherwise, I’m taking your temperature by your ass.”

“Go. To. Hell.”

Arlo scowled, biting down on the thermometer as Prince frustratedly sighed and pulled it out.

“Do you dare consider me a bluffer?”

Prince furrowed his eyebrows as he flipped the already laying down man onto his front, his body far too weakened by his illness to properly fight back. Aching pain shot through him as he attempted to wriggle away, and he let out a panicked yelp as he felt Prince’s fingers upon the waistband of his sweatpants.

“If you chose to make this harder for yourself, I’ll play along.”

Arlo only gritted his teeth, knowing Prince was far too drugged up on painkillers to feel the aching he was, and which allowed him to yank Arlos behind upward as he did.  
  
“Please don’t fret, I’m not viewing this sexually. This is only to help you Arlo, medically.”

He pulled his sweatpants down to his knees, his ass now fully exposed to the taller man. He playfully twirled the thermometer.

“Considering the indecency you’ve committed, this shouldn’t be so hard for you to take, yeah?~” he cooed, the other hand securing Arlo down tightening grip on his lower back.

“This will only take a second, please be patient with me, okay?”

Arlo attempted to feebly fight back, resorting to verbal retorts. A string of stops, leave me alone's, fuck offs and get offs left his mouth, stopping as he took a sharp breath feeling the unlubed instrument enter his body.

“It’s going to be uncomfortable if you keep thrashing like a worm on a hook.” Prince simply said, eyes trained on the thermometer.

_“You seem to have a small mouth, but I’m sure you have a smaller, tighter ass, don’t you, pretty boy?”_

With that, the thermometer beeped, and Prince slowly removed it, slowly circling it as he did to cause Arlo to shudder. 

“100.3. A fever. And next time, assume I carry all seriousness in my words, alright? I’m simply here to help you.”


	13. Prince Meeting His Extended Family Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something soft for Prince, for once.

"What time would you like me to retrieve you, young master?"

Stepping out of the vehicle, Prince leaned down, looking back in. It could have taken three hours. He could be done in fifteen minutes. He wasn't too sure how long things like this took. 

"An hour and a half." He simply stated, adjusting the satchel slung over his shoulder as he took a step back.

"Understood. Have a nice visit, sir."

The car engine started before pulling off the curb, and Prince watched as it drove away and rounded the corner.

_'No turning back now. . .'_

He turned, looking at the home he asked to be dropped off at. A small midcentury brick home, like many in the rundown suburb directly outside the city. He sighed, walking up to the door, his heels clicking on the cement as he did so.

He looked on the small porch, quickly wiping his shoes on the welcome matt as he brought his hand to the door. He hesitated, taking a quick second to adjust his glasses and straighten up his shirt. Exhaling, he knocked.

"Just a second!"

He cringed slightly, hearing a yell from the inside as he took a slight step back.

  
The door opened, a purple-haired woman opening it. "Are," Prince quickly hitched his breath, clearing his throat. "Are you Mrs. Carol Lumley?" He stood up slightly straighter. 

The woman shifted. "Ah, that's my mother. Are you here to visit her?" 

Prince worked up the courage to speak once more.

"My name is Prince Wisteria. I'm. . ."

"I'm Norah's son."

The woman blinked, silent for a second. A smile crossed her face, and she shook her head slightly.

"Holy shit-"

Prince was caught off guard, letting out a quick yelp as she pulled him into a tight hug, picking him up and spinning him.

"-We never knew she had a son!"

Setting him down, she walked into the home.

"Come in, come in! Mom-"

He walked behind her, quickly considering taking off his shoes, but keeping them on.

"Mom! You'll never guess who came to visit!"

She now turned to him, beaming.

"I'm Barbara, Norah's older sister."

Prince blinked. He had done his research on his mother's family, but never knew she had a sister.

He never knew he had an aunt.


	14. Danganronpa AU Chapter and Trial 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy some BlueRose angst?

“This is getting ridiculous.”

Prince sneered, eyes darting to the clock in the cafeteria. “You called us for this meeting and we’re over 10 minutes into the time you stated we’d start with 4 people still missing.”

Athena rolled her eyes, shaking her head gently. “It is awfully early, we wanted to be up before the morning announcement for this and all. Let’s give it a couple of minutes, we can investigate their whereabouts in 5.”

Eli sighed gently, tapping his fingers against the table. “I understand Milk and Sunny being late, but Tulip and Ciara don’t seem right. They’re punctual.” Marc spoke, a worried expression on his face.

Eli froze, feeling his hand resting on the table be engulfed by another. He turned, Arlo sitting next to him lacing their fingers together. 

“Athena, we understand wanting to be patient to avoid chaos, but considering the circumstances, there’s a plausible reason to want to investigate. After all, the deadline is tonight.”

Kanaya visibly shuddered, shaking her head ‘yes’. “Marc and Arlo are right, please, please let us check on them. . .”

Athena frowned, becoming more frustrated. “I don’t want to act against you, but we need to avoid splitting up. We can’t have any more panics chasing us into ruin.”

Brook hesitantly nodded. “Guys, just wait 4 more minutes. We can go search together if they’re not here by then.”

The group went silent at this, seemingly no one being in the correct state to chatter and create small talk.

Eli’s eyes darted around the room. Kanaya seemed the most visibly distraught, fiddling with her hands. 

_’Is it because Ciara isn’t here yet? . . .’_

Eli looked to the clock. 3 minutes left.  
  
He looked away, eyes traveling to his classmates. Marc also seemed distressed, adjusting his hat with a worried expression.

He forced himself to look away from the man, only to rest his eyes upon another worried face. Cherubi’s, whose eyes kept darting to the clock. Eli shook his head, not wanting to look at another upset face. He took solace in the floor, it didn’t make him feel uneasy.

“2 minutes. . .”

Brook called out, but Eli kept looking to the floor. He attempted to close his eyes, praying that he’d hear one of them walk through to door any minute, telling the others that the others missing were in their way in.

He felt the hand intertwined with his began to draw small circles upon the skin, and he looked up to the red-clad man sitting next to him.

As their eyes met, Eli felt his worries partially melt Arlo kept his face of determination, and Eli smiled slightly at this. The brave face of the man he loved would always be able to make him smile. 

“1 minute. . .”

Arlo leaned into his boyfriend's shoulder, laying his head against it, and Eli felt a gentle warmth fill his mind. Arlo trusting him enough to be vulnerable to him like this was one of his favorite things, and Arlo knew it calmed him down in moments of distress.

_’Thank you Arlo. . .thank you for helping me. . .’_

“Athena. . .” Brooklin trailed off, eyes looking to the clock and back to the black-haired girl. 5 minutes had passed.

Eli jolted as Cherubi shot out of her seat, walking briskly to the door.

“Cherubi, wait, we need to organize groups for this, we can’t just run around like headless chickens.”

Athena now stood, voice unwavering and firm. Cherubi refused to turn towards her, facing the door but nodding slightly to show she understood.  
  
“Alright. Eli and Arlo will check the left-wing. I and Brooklin will check the right. Cherubi and Marc will go to check the dormitories, and Prince and Kanaya will check in the Gym areas. Report back to the cafeteria in 15 minutes, so be fast with this.” 

Athena clapped once, and Arlo released Eli’s hand, his hand now resting on his shoulder.

“C’mon, let’s go check. We’re gonna be okay.”

Eli gently nodded, walking slightly behind Arlo as they went, yet still forcing his pace to remain a walk instead of the sprint he wanted. 

\- - - - -

“The computer lab is our last room, right?” 

Eli looked to the door they were approaching, oddly nervous at the idea of entering and finishing their task without turning up results.

“Yeah, should be.” Arlo stopped at the door, turning to Eli.

“Hey, when we’re done with this. . .”

Eli cocked an eyebrow, watching as his boyfriend began to blush and avert his gaze.

“I don’t think you’ve seen it yet, but there’s a greenhouse space by the pool. Maybe after this, do you wanna take a walk with me in it?”  
  
Eli gently smiled, chuckling. “Of course I would! But only if you agree that when we go, you won’t blush as hard as you are right now whenever I end up comparing you to any gorgeous sight I see.”

Arlo blinked, bringing a hand to cover his face. “I’m not blushing that hard. . .” 

Eli took his hand on his face into his, caressing his face gently. “It’s alright. You’re handsome when you get this embarrassed as you are normally.”

Arlo shook his head, now attempting to change the subject. “Let’s just check the lab.”

Eli laughed gently as Arlo opened the door, thankful once more for the man he loved making his worries seemingly melt away. He was about to speak but stopped as Arlo went stiff upon opening the door.

“. . .Arlo?”  
  
Eli stepped into the lab.

And at that moment, his sense of peace and being contempt washed away like a home against a hurricane.

He stumbled back, barely keeping his footing at the sight as he had to fight a scream ripping from his throat.

For a second, he met eyes with her glassy, shocked open ones. It was all he could do to distract from the axe digging deep into her forehead, surely lacerating her brain.

“I. . .” Arlo stumbled over his words, not nearly as distraught as his emotional boyfriend but regardless, moved to be beyond uneasy.

“Tulip. . .” 

Eli sobbed, falling to his knees before the girl, her standing dead body being pinned by the axe through her head to the bookshelf behind her.

“We need to get the others, Eli. Let’s go together.”

Arlo rested his hand upon the kneeling boy's shoulder, unable to rip his eyes from the corpse despite his urgent need to alert the other students.

“I don’t understand. . .”

Eli stuttered out, not even hearing the footsteps from the hall approaching. Arlo gripped Eli’s shoulder tighter as the assembled students emerged Into the lab, alerted by Eli’s scream. But Eli couldn’t feel it.

He couldn’t acknowledge Brook falling to her knees beside him, nor Kanaya’s scared scream. He didn’t know that Marc removed his hat in respect, tears silently falling at the sight. He couldn’t hear as Cherubi punched a bookshelf, ripping at her hair in frustration. He couldn’t see as Athena and Prince simply stood at the door, seemingly waiting for the others to cease their grieving.

The only thing that could rip Eli from his trance was that laugh. . .

_”A body has been discovered!~”_

_\- - - Trial Below - - -_

_”This is the truth about what happened in this case!”_

“It all started 3 days ago when Monokuma rolled out the first of our motives, the imposter files. Every one of us received a video explaining that the mastermind of our killing game is among us, and giving us a possible reason as to why their given person could be it. We received these files overnight, downloaded onto the TVs in our rooms.”

“Athena immediately called a meeting the night prior, in which she declared that we should not watch the videos and instead go directly to breakfast the next morning.” 

“Despite this, several people viewed their motive videos, including our blackened.”

“At our meeting the next morning, Prince asked everyone to be able to prove that they fit the title of their talent, saying that by doing so we had less likely a chance of potentially being an imposter lying about who we truly were. Everyone but Ciara obliged, who simply walked away from the meeting.”

“The blackened, Kanaya and I ended up working together to prove our talents, and while helping our killer, we ended up in the computer lab to process their work. It was there that they noticed something Kanaya and I hadn’t. A trap door, underneath the center computer table, exposed to them after frustratedly kicking the tile when their computer began to act up. Neither Kanaya or I noticed, but looking back, it was probably our closest shot to preventing this murder. . .”  
  
“On our second day after our motive was released, our blackened began to set up their plan to expose our mastermind.”

“They placed cameras throughout the lab, hidden with motion sensors that caused them to snap a single photo before going into display mode. Despite this setback of only getting a single photo, our killer was able to find something.”

“They returned to the lab three times that day, checking their results. And on their second and third time in, the cameras were activated.”

“Tulip was seen in both, in the first standing by the bookshelf on the back wall, and in the second, most damming, crouched by the hatch in the floor our killer had known about.”

“We thought it was strange how the photos seemingly triggered by motion were taken that late into Tulip entering the lab, but after help from Arlo and Sunny, we came to the conclusion that these cameras were special. When the motion was detected, an alert was sent to a buzzing remote counterpart, in which the killer then simply needed to press a button on the remote to snap the photo. We can assume our killer in both instances didn’t know when someone would arrive in the lab, and when the vibrating, soundless buzzer went off, they would need to excuse themselves to turn it off and take the picture, a process that took time and would have given Tulip plenty of opportunity to move within the lab.”

“Our killer wanted to be absolutely sure that Tulip was the mastermind, so they waited one more day to be sure and to get more photo evidence.”

“However, Monokuma came to us saying that we only had one more day to act, else we’d all be executed. Our killer has no choice but to move their plans into motion.”  
  
“That morning, they returned to the lab alone, photos once again having been triggered during the time shortly before breakfast, where several of us weren’t yet present. Tulip was seen in the lab yet again, now exiting from the direction of the lab with a bag in her hands. Our killer knew they needed to take a leap of faith, and this was the best lead anyone had so far. They couldn’t bring this to the groups attention, else panic would be caused. And they couldn’t ask Tulip about it either, since if she did happen to be the mastermind, she could have easily killed our killer to keep her secret.”

“Our killer knew Tulip had a chance of being innocent. But for us, they decided they would potentially sacrifice themself in order to kill the mastermind and end this game.”

“As such, they launched their plan into action. They went back to the lab, realizing the reasoning for Tulip seemingly going to the shelf was due to a hidden switch she had found there. They came to the hypothesis that the switch, combined with a number padlock, was what was used to trigger the hatch, and devised their murder plan from there.”

They headed to the storage room in the basement for their needed supplies, which in this case, included a rope, fishing line, and their axe. They managed to get this during Athena’s meeting at midday yesterday, which 5 people missed. We didn’t think it was odd that they were gone, and they knew several others would be missing, so they figured this was their best shot to obtain their suspicious items without being seen.”

“They quickly got to work assembling their contraption, and felt safe installing it so early in the day, knowing that by the time they were done, Monokuma had summoned the class to the auditorium for a “lecture” we knew would last until nighttime, when no one else would have gone to the lab.”  
  
“Their trap was relatively simple, and I’m sure it was due to the fact that they weren’t attempting to fool an investigation. They were planning on killing the mastermind and being done with it, so they didn’t mind us being able to figure out how they did it. After all, they were willing to sacrifice everything. . .including their own life. They wanted us to be able to know how they did it in case Tulip wasn’t in fact the mastermind.

First, our killer climbed atop the computer table next to the bookshelf which contained the switch, securing the axe by two ends, a rope tied to a beam in the middle of the room, attached to the axes handle. The head of the axe was wrapped with fishing line wire, tied to a beam at the front of the library.

Next, our killer returned to the storage room, needing two other items; a hooked knife and a measuring tape. It was there that they ran into Tulip and Cherubi, looking for a watering can. Our killer managed to conceal the knife, but couldn’t hide the measuring tape, which Cherubi could distinctly remember they had.  
  
Once back inside the lab, our killer began part two of setting up their contraption, setting up the remaining clear wire to serve as a tripwire in front of the bookshelf. They tied it so it would run up the shelf next to it, up onto the ceiling, running across the beams, tied down and leading to a knife, which when pulled by tripping the wire, would be slashed against the wire holding up the axe, cutting it so that it would swing downwards from the other end of ropes and directly upon our killers head. They needed the measuring tape to finalize their trap, measuring how Tulip’s distinct height would need to line up with how much rope they left behind; leaving too much would cause the axe to potentially hit their victim in the stomach or somewhere non-fatal, or to miss their head entirely if it was tied with not enough left. Tying it too low wouldn’t have normally been a problem, since the axe should have been sharp enough to puncture anywhere in the body given its falling and swinging velocity, but the axe didn’t have a direct course, and our culprit only realized this halfway through assembling their trap. While the axe would swing straight and hit dead-on, the axe head could have turned, hitting its target bluntly, which only would have been fatal if done to the head. Our culprit finished assembling the trap before joining us for the lecture.”  
  
“Our killer was forced to act remotely, as we had decided against moving at night in order to keep tabs on each other and to hopefully prevent a killing. Our culprit was probably curious as to how Tulip had managed to slip through the no traveling at night rule to go to the lab during nighttime, and more than likely assumed they had more accessibility to move freely due to being the mastermind, and perhaps were able to keep tabs on where everyone was at all times in order to sneak past us. In reality, four people volunteered to shift between guarding the halls at night; Athena, Brooklin, Marcus, and Milk. Tulip simply knew that Milk fell asleep on the job monitoring the hall between the girls' dorm wing and the lab every time, so she easily snuck in.”

“Our culprit definitely snuck into the lab the morning after and before we met up for Athena’s daily, held in secret from Monokuma meeting, as the cafeteria oddly enough doesn’t have any cameras.”

“They walked in to find that Tulip was dead, but their plan hadn’t gone exactly as planned. The axe had hit her in the head partially bluntly, only a tad of it actually penetrating her skull. Our culprit hadn’t bothered to cover up their trap though, as their plan, again, wasn’t to evade us.”  
  
“Monokuma had told us that after the mastermind died and the body had been discovered, he would announce it and free us, so our killer had to wait patiently until the body was discovered to see if their leap of faith had been correct. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. We learned through Tulip’s secret motive video that Sunny had a combination in his possession that could be used fo unlock the hatch, and disclosed its location. She couldn’t ask him for the combination, since he could have easily killed her had he been the imposter. She took it upon herself to attempt to crack the code herself, unaware that she had stumbled into another’s trap.”  
  
“Until the end. . .I believed in their innocence. They disclosed to me their motive video on the day we were given them, and, after the murder took place, I was under the assumption that the murderer did it due to their motive video. They didn’t have Tulip's motive, they had Kanaya’s, while Athena held Tulips and carried the guilt of having it. But between all the eyewitness accounts, there’s. . .only one person who could have done this. . .”

_“-Eli.”_

Eli snapped from his trance, unaware that his tears had started to fall.

“Eli, that’s enough. You knew I was going to come clean sooner or later, right? I took a shot in the dark and shot myself in the foot. I failed you. . . I failed everyone here. . .I failed Tulip. . ..”

They sighed, guilt entering their system as they watched Eli begin to silently sob.  
  
”I did it. I set the trap. I killed Tulip.”

Arlo stood still as he let out his declaration, unable to turn his gaze to his classmates. He kept his eyes trained on Eli, who was clutching the podium, trying to slow his sobs.

“It’s over. I lost the game."

\- - - - -

  
_"Ding ding ding! That's correct! The murderer of Tulip Ferns is Arlo Castillo!"_

Uneasy relief settled among the students, thankful their votes checked out.

"I don't understand. . ."

Eli had to step away from his podium, dropping to his knees and staring at the floor, silent tears falling.

"You could have come to me, I. . I could have helped you, you didn't need to do this alone. . ."

Arlo felt guilt wash over him, wanting to go over to his boyfriend. To hug him, to rest his head on his shoulder once more, to tell him it was going to be alright.

"Eli. . .remember what I told you before we discovered the body? What I asked of you?"

Eli slowly lifted his head, meeting Arlos' golden eyes with his own. "I do, but what does that have to do with this-"

"-Eli, listen to me. Promise you'll do what I asked of you."

Eli watched as Arlo's eyes welled with tears, and he gently nodded. Arlo smiled slightly, blinking away his tears before turning to his classmates.

"I apologize for the trouble I've caused you all. From what I saw in this trial, you all have the brains and the teamwork to get out of here. Please,"  
  
Arlo sighed, uneasily gripping his podium.

",I can go easier knowing you seem to be in good hands, Eli. Everyone, please, survive this. Help each other through this mess, and get the fuck out of here."

"Arlo. . ." Marcus trailed off, and Kanaya began to weep.

"Guys, Arlo did this for us. He tried to save us, we need to respect that."

Athena's calm voice shot through, and Kanaya nodded gently. "I know. . .but, why did this have to happen. . ."

"I just wanna go home. . ."

"No. . .Tulip, wanted us all to escape. I'm sure she would understand. . .I don't think I can live with myself if she didn't. . ." Brooklin held in her tears for her deceased friend, and Athena nodded in reassurance. 

"Tulip was creating her own plan to catch the mastermind, ya' know. I'm sure she knew she'd be maybe sacrificing herself in the process, it just happened in a different than expected way." Milk attempted to re-assure, leaning back on his heels.

Sunny could only silently nod, regret washing over him.

"She had my motive. . .she went to the lab to see what she could do because of me. . ."

Marc shot up, placing a hand on the blonde boy's shoulder.

"No! Don't blame yourself for this, this isn't your fault. You couldn't control the video she got."  
  
"Marc is right." Ciara proclaimed, crossing her arms in frustration. "The damn bear gave us our motives, and she felt confident with the information she received. She decided to take a chance to save us all."

"Ultimately. . ." Prince clarified, turning his gaze to Arlo. "This is Tulip's own fault. She watched her motive video despite the advice against it and put herself in the position to be slaughtered. This isn't your fault, Sunny. And to an extent, neither is it Arlo's."

Silence followed his statement, Brooklin clenching her fists in frustration. "This isn't her fault! She was curious, and thought she had a lead to follow! She just wanted to save us. . ."

"We could go back and forth placing blame, but it would only work against both Tulip and Arlo's wishes. They did this in an attempt to save us, and we can't ruin that sacrifice. We all had chances to stop this murder, but we were blinded. That's the past, and we can't change it. We simply need to proceed with more caution in the future where we keep working to get out of here."

Cherubi spoke, voice wavering and on the verge of tears for her small-statured friend.

Eli aggressively shook his head, attempting to stand to his feet. "No, you need to answer me! We're supposed to get through things together, we promised we'd leave here together! Please, Arlo, answer me, why would you do this?"

  
Arlo stayed silent. "Just do what I asked of you before, okay? It'll make sense then."

"Well, if that's all that's needed to be said, let's move on with this, yeah?"

Monokuma spoke from his elevated stand, and Arlo nodded gently, apprehension coursing through and freezing his body. He knew that this was coming when he weighed his options of attempting to catch the mastermind, and when he learned of his failure. Yet, he wasn't sure how exactly he was to prepare to meet his fate.

To face his execution.

"Wait! Wait," Eli stumbled over his words, trying to stand and run to Arlo, but only tumbling over, Kanaya crouching over to make sure he was alright.

"Arlo, please! Please, don't go! Monokuma,"

Eli whipped his head to look at the bear, having to fight his sobs to speak.

"Please I'll take Arlo's place, please don't do this, he didn't do it maliciously, please don't do this-"

Arlo's sigh ripped Eli from his pleading, and he turned to face his boyfriend. They locked eyes once more, and Eli felt his soul leave his body as silent tears began to fall from the gently smiling white-haired man.

"Thank you for everything, Eli. I'm sorry I couldn't win. . ." He chuckled sadly, now turning back towards the bear. "I'm sorry I failed you. . .god, aren't I pathetic?. . ."

Monokuma's vicious laugh boomed, and Eli tried to convince himself that this was nothing but a god awful, terrible dream. His mental pleas to let him wake up were met with nothing but the crushing reality refusing to go away.

"Sorry kid! But rules are rules, and even as headmaster, I gotta follow them. Now then. . ."

_"I've prepared a very special punishment for Arlo Castillo, the Ultimate Photographer! It's punishment time!~"_

Eli's desperate cries and begs fell upon deaf ears as Monokuma pulled out his hammer and hit the large button before him. 

_**"Arlo has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!"** _

_**\- - - - -** _

**GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE**   
**Ultimate Photographer Arlo Castillo’s Execution: Executed**

Arlo is dropped into a large dark room, with only one exit directly across the room from him. It’s so dark in the room that visibility is zero; thankfully Arlo has his camera flash to help light his way to the exit. However, a giant Monokuma wearing a wig to resemble his mother stands in his way, hellbent on ripping him to shreds. Arlo must use the camera flash to light his way to the exit, and to avoid the Monokuma.

During the process, Arlo faces an initial near miss where he’s slashed in the face, the Monokuma ripping out one of his eyes before he’s able to escape into the darkness. The next, the Monokuma bites off one of his arms, and he’s able to escape once more. The final near miss is Monokuma lacerating one of his ankles, causing his walking to be rendered useless and effectively hobbling him. He manages to crawl to the exit, where the Monokuma is waiting for him, and gently cradles him as a mother would do to her baby before snapping him in half by bending his body too far back, dropping his now halved body to the floor.


	15. Danganronpa AU Chapter 1 Post Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hammers in BlueRose angst)

“What are you guys doing?. . .”

Eli looked at the two girls kneeling before a grass plot and instantly felt bad as Brook turned to face him with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, hey Eli. Are you feeling better?” 

Brook managed to conceal her sobs as she spoke, softly smiling in an attempt to keep a brave face for the grieving boy. 

It had been a couple of hours since the execution, and Eli had finally conjured the strength to talk and move again.

“I’m alright.” He simply said, fiddling with his ponytail. “Do you need any help with anything, or are you just here to clear your head?” Cherubi gently asked, placing a hand on Brook's shoulder in an attempt to console her. 

“. . .” Eli went silent, sighing lightly. “Arlo told me to come here and walk around for the answer to why he. . .did it. At the end of the trial.”

Cherubi simply blinked, nodding slowly. “So that’s what he was alluding to. Would you like us to leave for that? We’re wrapping up here shortly.”

Eli shook his head rapidly. “No, it’s okay! What are you guys doing?”

Brook patted the ground next to her, and Eli crouched between her and Cherubi.

In the grass were two noticeable dirt spots, one with a light green paper heart, the other with a red one. 

_’Tulip Ferns, 1995 - 2020’_

_’Arlo Castillo, 2000 - 2020’_  
  
“Cherubi and I planted a tulip for her, and a rose for Arlo. I hope it’s okay, we weren’t sure what his favorite flower was and didn’t wanna trouble you by asking. . .”

Eli felt clears cloud his vision once more, gazing at the memorial. “It’s lovely.” He said, voice cracking as he began to cry again.

“Oh, Eli. . .”

Brook pulled the shorter boy in, hugging him tightly and patting his back gently. 

“I’m sorry-“ He attempted to stutter out as Brook released him, and she shook her head.

“You’re alright, it’s gonna be okay. Cherubi, let’s give him some space, let him find Arlo’s message and all.” Brook softly said, and Cherubi slightly nodded.

“Eli, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us if you feel in crisis, okay?” Cherubi said, standing from her position in the grass. Though she wasn’t crying, Eli could see that her glasses were fogged, and she sniffled slightly.

“Thank you. . .”

Eli watched as the two left the greenhouse, and he stood, still for a second before walking. 

It hadn’t taken him long to find it. An envelope, resting on a stone bench before a patch of bluebells. Eli carefully took it into his hands, flipping it over to reveal “For Eli” in Arlo’s familiar handwriting. He welled with tears at the sight.

He was careful to open the sealed document, beginning to read the semi-neat handwriting.  
  
 _”Eli,”_

_“If you’re reading this, I’ve already been killed. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a proper explanation before I had to leave you, the others wouldn’t understand, and I’m afraid it might turn them against you.”_

_“I feared you might have attempted to stop me if I had let you in on what I was doing, and I couldn’t have wavered in my decision making. At the time of writing, I do believe Tulip is guilty, and I can’t refuse to act on it. I understand your logic of waiting to confront the mastermind about this, but what if she attempts to kill us for it? I couldn’t live with myself if you were killed because of this. I need to act, and if I’m wrong, I’ll take the fall.”_

_“Please understand that if I do leave you, some good will come out of it. Things like this have a way of banding people together, and I truly think our group is one that could come together to escape this hell. If I’m collateral in the process, so be it. As long as you escape here safely, that’s all that matters to me. That’s all I want, for us to be able to escape here together. And if Tulip isn’t the mastermind and I am sent to an execution, it’s for you to be able to escape, banded together with these people as friends._

_I love you, Eli. Please, please continue to move forward finding the truth, and know that I’m always with you. Always._

_I love you,_

_\- Arlo”_


	16. Danganronpa AU Chapter and Trial 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this at 4 A.M at the time, so it was intended to stay between God and I.

“We have a problem.”

Ciara emerged into the game room, flinching as Sunny frustratedly threw down his card deck.

“Where the _fuck_ did you get 5 reverses from?” He exclaimed, Kanaya across the table gently smiling. Prince adjusted his glasses, looking up at the bluenette as he set down his deck face down.

“Something the matter?”

“Yes. Where is everyone?”

Marc furrowed his eyebrows, concern crossing his face. “Ci, what happened-“

“Where is everyone.” She reinforced, and everyone at the table sat up a tad in worry.

“Eli and Cherubi were in the greenhouse, last time I checked,” Sunny said, a frown crossing his face. “They were taking some wood there about an hour ago, said they were gonna create a memorial.”  
  
“Okay, and Milk and Athena? What about Brook?”

Kanaya stood from her seat, nervously fidgeting with her hands. “Ciara, please, tell us what’s wrong.”

Ciara gritted her teeth in worry. 

“The kitchen. I went there to go get a snack, and the door was locked.”

Prince gave her an odd look. “The kitchen door doesn’t lock.”

“Exactly, something is keeping it closed.”

Marc and Sunny stood, walking towards the door. “You couldn’t get it to budge, no matter how hard to tried?” Sunny asked, and Ciara nodded.

Prince sighed, slowly rising from his seat, longingly looking at the nearly won game of Uno he was leaving behind.

“Kanaya, out of the 5 of us, you’re the weakest physically. I need you to go round up the others.”  
  
Ciara now glared at Prince for barking the order at the girl.

“No, she can come with-“

“Ciara,”

Ciara's features softened as Kanaya flashed her a quick smile. “It’s okay, I can go get them! I’m sure everything is fine, it’s gonna be okay.” She gently said, reassuring the taller girl, who sighed and nodded. “Alright. Stay safe.”

A blush crossed her face as Kanaya stood on her tiptoes to give her a quick smooch before rushing out of the room.  
  
“Sickening.”

Sunny harshly elbowed Prince in the ribs.

“Alright, c’mon. . .”

Ciara quickly turned on her heels, briskly walking as the three guys followed her.

\- - - - -

  
“God, is it always this dark in this hall?”

Marcs’ voice cut through the silence plaguing the group as they approached the kitchen.

“The light is off for some reason. . .” Sunny trailed off, and Ciara nodded. “It was off earlier too.”

Now at the door, the group stalled, seemingly unsure how to approach. Prince sighed, stepping to the door and gripping the doorknob.

“Wait, it’s jammed shut and we need to figure out how-“

The click of Prince being able to turn the knob and crack the door open slightly caused Sunny to cock an eyebrow and stop his sentence.

“Well, I’ll be damned.”  
  
Ciara pushed past Prince, swinging open the door to reveal the darkened kitchen. Nothing could be seen, as no windows meant no outside light.

“The light switch is on this wall, hold on. . .”

Prince walked away, and the group stopped in their tracks as they heard a slight splash. _“What the hell. . .”_

“Prince?” Marcus asked, and Prince clarified. “Puddle on the floor. Give me a second,”

The lights flashed on, and Prince gasped, causing Ciara’s stomach to drop to the floor as she bolted to where he was.

Concealed behind a countertop was a crumpled and heavily bleeding body. It was no puddle Prince had stepped in, and he sneered as he awkwardly stepped out of the bloodbath.  
  
“What, what happened-“

Marc and Sunny rushed up, also stopping short at the sight. 

“This. . .this doesn’t make any sense-“

Sunny stumbled back, and Marc brought his hands to his hat, slowly removing it once more. “This. . .wasn't supposed to happen. . .”

Ciara felt guilt enter her system at the sight, putting on a brave angry face as she turned to the others. “We need to find everyone and bring them in, now. No splitting up this time.”

Her stern glare in Prince’s direction covered up her guilt.

_’I. . .I could have prevented this. . .’_

\- - - - -

  
“Who are we missing?”

Prince asked as Cherubi, Brooklin, and Marc bolted in, Brooklin falling to her knees at the sight.

“No. . .”

Cherubi covered her mouth with her hands at the gory sight.

“No! No, this doesn’t make any sense. . .”

Prince sighed, adjusting his glasses. “We’re locked in a death game and you believe a death doesn’t make any sense?”

Brooklin shot him a glare, and Sunny had to restrain himself from elbowing him again.

“No, I just. . .”

“Arlo. . .Arlo and Tulip died so that this wouldn’t happen. . .”

The body truly was a horrific sight. An eyeball resting a couple of feet away on the floor, the poor victim with deep slashing on their ankles and their arm cut so deep that it appeared nearly severed. A single cut was slashed across their bare stomach, causing Brooklin to shiver as she understood the callback.  
  
“I must say, it is an awfully distasteful reenactment. Regardless, who are we still missing?” 

Athena, Kanaya, and Ciara strode in as he spoke.

“Oh jeez. . .”

Athena trailed off at the sight, and Kanaya instantly burst into tears. Ciara pulled the shorter girl against her chest, allowing her to sob freely.

“Just Milk, it seems.”

“He looks. . .”

Athena strode up to the body, looking into his dead eyes. Despite the bare socket, she could read his expression.

“He looks so scared. . .”

“We were just together, I don’t understand. . .” Cherubi ran a hand through her hair in frustration, eyes trained on the sobbing pink-clad girl.  
  
“Cut up to look like his boyfriend in death? What would be the point. . .” Athena said gently, crouching before the corpse.

“You can begin your investigation into his body once we all establish our whereabouts. We’re still missing one.” Prince said sternly, refusing to look at Athena or Eli’s cold body.

“Milk. . .” Marcus said quietly, beginning to pace.

“You’re sure you checked everywhere?”

Ciara and Marcus nodded. “Every room I think we collectively checked,” Marc said in frustration, and Prince furrowed his eyebrows.

“I don’t understand how he can simply go missing-“  
  
A snore resonated from across the room, and Prince whipped his head around, marching across the room and to the cupboards near the floor.

“What the hell. . .” Ciara said, watching as Prince ripped the cupboard doors open before sighing.

“Get out. You have some explaining to do.”

  
  
\- - - _Trial_ \- - -

_”This is the truth about what happened in this case!”_

“We first caught a sniff of the murder earlier today, when Ciara walked to the kitchen to get a snack. Upon arriving, she tried repeatedly to open the door, but it refused to budge, as it’s made of metal and held against her strength. In a panic, she bolted to find help.”

“She came across Prince, Kanaya, Sunny, and Marcus in the game room downstairs, and Prince sent Kanaya to find the others while they attempted to bust into the locked room.”

“However, when they returned, the door was unlocked, and Eli lay bleeding on the floor in the dark.”

“We assumed our killer struck and Ciara bare witness with the door locked, but that couldn’t be farther from the case.”

“About 3 hours prior, Kanaya was in the kitchen, telling us she planned to secretly create a cake for Eli to cheer him up, being so distraught over Arlo still. Brooklin and Sunny left, Milk staying behind after she said he could help. And that’s when the plan was put into action.”  
  
“The day prior, Milk obtained an unlabeled deadly poison from the chem lab in the basement, hiding it away and waiting for the perfect chance to strike. He finally had his shot, mixing it with the icing mix so that even the smallest slice would cause its eater to fall ill.”

“However, the exchange and asking our blackened to ice, cut a slice off, and leave it on the counter for Eli shifted responsibility from him to them; creating a blackened who lacked knowledge of the crime they were about to commit.”

“About an hour and a half before the body was discovered, Milk ran into Eli on his way to the greenhouse, planning to meet with Cherubi. He asked him to meet him in the kitchen in 45 minutes, and Eli agreed, as Milk said he found something regarding Arlo’s death.”

“Eli met up with Cherubi, making process on their memorial for Tulip and Arlo before leaving earlier than he had previously told Cherubi he would be to meet with Milk. She stayed behind, continuing to work.”

“Eli met with Milk about 45 minutes before we discovered his body, Milk surprising him with the cake and saying Kanaya and him baked it for him. He took a slice pre-cut by Kanaya, Milk saying Kanaya was helping Ciara and couldn’t make it, but saying she asked him to make sure Eli got some. As such, Milk watched as Eli ate what was to be his last meal.”  
  
“It didn’t take long for the poison to take effect, rendering Eli speechless and unable to move in only 5 minutes. Milk waited until he was sure Eli was dead, the poison causing his eye color to turn purple, as well as his tongue. He suffered a heart attack, dying right then and there.”

“When Milk was fully assured he was deceased, he began to prepare his crime scene, laying Eli onto the floor and tucking the remaining cake in the very back of the fridge.”

“He cut into Eli, making it appear as if he was killed from his various knife wounds. However, we took account of his purple eyes and tongue, and with the help of Prince, I managed to run a toxicology test from the lab, proving poison was our murder weapon, not the slashes and wounds after death.”

  
“As for Milks alibi, he claimed to be inside the kitchen with Eli when Cherubi came in, stabbing Eli in the arm and wounding him further as Milk hid in the cupboard, and evading danger. This proved to be bogus, as both Brook and myself ran into Cherubi in the timeframe his death occurred.”  
  
“During all this, our blackened was in the game room playing cards, unaware they had caused death in someone they held so dear. Had they allowed Milk to cut and serve the cake, they would have been innocent. . .but instead, they took a life without even knowing it.”

Athena took a deep breath, the crying girl causing guilt to enter her system from revealing the truth.

“It’s the truth, but an unfortunate one. Kanaya, I’m sorry. You’re stuck the loser of a game you didn’t even know you were playing.”

\- - - - -

  
_”Right again! Eli’s killer was, in fact, Kanaya!”_

  
“Aww, don’t cry Kanaya!” Milk smiled, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Why would you do that?” She choked out, falling to her knees and sobbing as Ciara ran up to her, crouching down and holding her.

“Hm? Okay so,”

“If we look at this like how the bear wants, it’s a game, right?”

Milk looked from Kanaya to Eli’s empty podium. 

“You and Eli would be the team building characters, Eli currently having the main character arc, and becoming the character to band us together.”

“I think it’s kinda cliche, so I wanted him dead. You fall into his character category, so I figured you’d be okay collateral damage.”

“If you wanted him dead, why didn’t you kill him yourself?” Sunny angrily retorted, and Milk smiled at him.

“Duh, because I don’t wanna die.”

“And you think Kanaya does?” Marc now yelled, having to restrain himself. Milk shrugged.

“Oh, of course, she doesn’t! But I’m the more important character in our game! I mean, who else do we have to serve an antagonist role? I do it best, and Kanaya was a tear-jerking buddy potential final girl. Priorities Marc, priorities~” Milk sang out, and Athena stood up a tad straighter.

“Why bother disrespecting the dead and reenacting Arlo's death upon him? 

  
“Oh, because I thought it looked cool. Plus, the shock value is astronomical!”

“You’re sick!” Brook spat, holding back her own tears.

“Did you not at all understand the sacrifices that were made? They were so that this wouldn’t happen. . .”

Cherubi trailed off, refusing to meet Milks eye contact. “What do you think they died for?”

Milk laughed. “To make the game more interesting, a real tearjerker!”

“I’m going to kill you myself if you refer to this as a game one more fucking time.”

Ciara glared at the tall man, Kanaya refusing to meet eyes with anyone, keeping her head buried against Ciara’s chest.

“Monokuma,”

Prince turned to the highest podium, arms crossed. “-You’re absolutely positive what Milk did constitutes as guilty on Kanaya’s behalf? Wouldn’t the motive to kill have made him the guilty party?”

Monokuma cocked his head before shooting it straight. “But of course the boy’s innocent! Whoever directly dished out the plate of homicide gets the axe, and Milk was simply a third party supplier!”

Prince nodded, glaring at the tall man. 

“I just want to go home, please. . .”

Kanaya sniffled, Ciara rubbing gentle circles on her back. “I didn’t mean to hurt Eli, please. . .I can’t be a killer. . .”

“Kanaya,”

  
Kanaya looked up to see Ciara giving her a gentle smile. “It’s going to be alright. I’m here, you’re going to be okay. I’m going to protect you, until the end.”

Kanaya felt a sob wrack her body as Ciara pulled her closer to her chest.

“Aw, c’mon, don’t you know that even I have a heart? Don’t cry sweet-cheeks, you don’t wanna see what happens when I cry!”

Monokuma exclaimed from the stand sadly before snapping back to normal. “As such, why don’t we get the end to this tragedy underway? It’sssssss punishment time!” He sang out, causing Kanaya to freeze.

”You are going to need to pry her from my cold, dead hands in order to do that.”

Ciara spat, the strongest glare she could muster directed towards Monokuma as she refused to let Kanaya go.

“Oh? Please don’t tell me that’s a threat of violence against the headmaster! That’s the farthest you can go missy, violating that rule results in a punishment of your own!”

Ciara gritted her teeth in anger, now standing and lifting Kanaya slightly to do the same, still holding to her tightly.

“I’ll rip your head off before you even get the chance.”

“Ciara, stop.”  
  
She whipped her head around to see Brooklin, concerned. “Please, this is bad enough as it is, please don’t-“

“-I refuse to be complicit to the damn bear! If that’s what you want to do, so be it. I refuse to submit to that bastard, and I put my life on that statement.”

A loud ‘band’ echoing through the courtroom caused its occupants to flinch, as a pained yell ripped from Ciara.

“Don’t mess with how the game works, kid. That’s your warning.”

“Ci!” Kanaya cried, rattled from the bullet that went past her head and dug into Ciara’s shoulder.

_“You bastard. . .”_

Ciara could only hold on tighter, falling to her front as another shot resonated through the room, this time landing deep in her right knee.

“Ciara, please stop!” Cherubi cried, tears falling at the sight of the bluenette bleeding in a heap on the floor.  
  
Kanaya quickly tried to fall to her knees next to her love, only to yelp as a chained collar snapped around her neck, pulling her away.

 _“I’ve prepared a very special punishment for our favorite Ultimate Baker!”_ Monokuma cooed, Kanaya crying as she was pulled away.

“I’m so sorry, please, I’m sorry! Please Monokuma, don’t do this-“

She clawed at the collar around her neck as she pleaded, and Monokuma only chuckled.

_”It’s Punishment Time!~”_

_”No!”_

Ciara attempting to scramble to her feet, angry tears rushing down her face and Monokuma hitting his red button with his mallet was the last thing Kanaya saw before she was yanked from the courtroom.

**_Kanaya has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!_ **

**The Sweet Escape**   
**Ultimate Baker Kanaya Jones’s Execution: Executed**

Kanaya wakes, finding herself in the gingerbread re-enactment of her childhood homes’ living room. Sat before her are gingerbread figures, each made to look like Kanaya’s relatives and family she tried too hard to distance herself from. It’s hot. Far too hot.

Kanaya attempts to move from her seated position to find that thick licorice rope tied around her chest keeps her seated.

All she can do is attempt to chew it away, biting and spitting it out in an attempt to weaken it. Her face begins to swell, as do her hands, and she figures out the sick trick; licorice rope laced with poison to mimic her kill. She attempts to continue to crane her neck, chewing and spitting quickly as the room gets hotter and hotter.

The walls are melting, the frosting floor beginning to boil to bubble, and Kanaya feels her skin doing the same. She finally manages to chew enough that the licorice is torn enough to crash out of, and she tumbles onto the burning floor, quickly scrambling to her feet.

She pushes past the gingerbread figures before her, bolting to the home's front door, her swollen skin bubbling terribly. Her feet have begun to swell from the poison, making it painful to walk through the boiling layer of frosting. She does anyway, stumbling through the door and coming face to face with a wall of glass, her classmates watching on the other side.

She looks upwards, a giant metal rack above her. She realizes the homes been on a metal baking sheet this entire time, and her feet feel as if they’re on fire.

She can’t even face her classmates as she stumbles to her knees, realizing she’s been in a giant oven this whole time. She cries as she burns alive; classmates watching as Monokuma turns up the heat so that her frosting soaked body catches fire.


	17. Danganronpa AU Chapter and Trial 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accidentally forgot to write an execution for this one LMAO

“Y’know, an explanation would be nice?”

Sunny tried to shake the sleep from his system as Prince walked in front of him, forcing him to follow.

“A visual would be a better explanation than words.”

Sunny simply blinked, and Prince sighed.

“Use your head. What do you think happened?”

Sunny’s eyes opened a tad wider as the words sunk in. “You don’t mean. . .”

Prince rolled his eyes. “Took you long enough.”

Sunny felt his heart fill with dread as they realized where they were headed. 

The library door was ajar as they approached, and Sunny could make out voices coming from inside.

“She didn’t deserve this. . .”

He stalled at Marc’s voice. Hearing Brooklin's sob caused him to push past Prince, rushing into the room.

In an instant, wished he had inquired on what he was about to see. But he was sure in his heart nothing could prepare him to see what he had.

The only thing that came to mind was overkill, repeating over and over again. He felt dizzy at the gory sight and stumbled back into Prince, who walked in behind him.

“I brought him. Who’s left missing?”  
  
“Ciara, Milk and Cherubi.”

Marc clarified, and Brooklin turned to face Sunny. “Oh, thank god you’re okay. . .”

Sunny tried his best to figure out what he was looking at. The girl was on her back, her busted forehead and skull on full display. Her glasses were smashed; the glass digging into her skin. Bruises littered her body; and while the head was surely the point where death occurred, Sunny could tell she had received a beating. Even her arm looked bent out of its socket. . .

“Athena. . .”

Brook nodded, wiping away her tears. “Marc came in to get a book right after the morning announcement and found her. . .”

Marc nodded, holding in tears himself.

Prince cleared his throat. “I’m going to check on Ciara and Cherubi, in that case. Sunny, could you check in the dorm hall for Milk?”

Sunny nodded slowly, and Brook walked up to him. “Can I go with you? I can’t stay in here any longer. . .”

“Of course! Marc, are you gonna be okay being here alone?”

Marcus simply flashed a thumbs up. “Yeah, no problem.”

Though looking slightly sick, Marcus sat at the table closest to the body, taking off his glasses as he did so and rubbing his temples.

“Let’s go find the others!”

\- - - - -

  
“Here we are. . .”

Sunny took a deep breath, knocking on Milk’s door.

“Milk? It’s Brook and Sunny. Please open up!” Brooklin exclaimed.

They heard movement from inside the room, and both let out a breath they hadn’t known they’d been holding. At least he was alive.

“I’m not gonna go eat breakfast with you fake hoes.”

Sunny had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. “His sin virus must not be worn out yet. . .”

Sunny turned to look at Brook, and she blinked at his confused expression. “You didn’t know? Monokuma said our virus expires as soon as we see a body.”

“Did you say body?”

Milk now slowly opened the door, peaking out at the two. “Who bit it?”

Brook shuddered, and Sunny decided not to force her to do the retelling. “Athena. Come with us to the library.”

The toothy grin that slowly crossed Milk’s face caused Sunny to wish he hadn’t said anything. 

“Ight.”

\- - - - -

  
“Found him.”

Sunny proclaimed as he lead the group, walking into the library and strictly looking at anything that wasn’t Athena’s body. 

Prince stood alone, and Brooklin felt numb. “Did you find Ciara or Cherubi?”

“I knocked on both their doors; no answer for either.”

Milk towered over the body, cocking his head. “Damn, she really got beat to hell. . .”

He looked over to Marc, who remained seated at the table. “You doin’ alright man?”

He shook his head lightly. “I’m gonna be sick-“

He stood shakily, rushing to the trash can in the corner. 

“I’ve done enough of being a search party. I’m going to begin an investigation here, the rest of you can look for those missing.” Prince scowled, cringing as he heard Marcus vomit.

Brooklin sighed. “I’ll go look again, the least amount of time I can spend in here, the better.”

“I’ll help too-“

Sunny began, only to be cut off by Milk clearing his throat.

“Y’all might wanna come over here.”

Sunny walked hesitantly and unsteadily to the very back of the library where Milk had wandered, behind a tall bookcase that reached the ceiling. As soon as Sunny did, he felt a scream rip through his throat.

Cold eyes stared down at him, head hanging limply by the rope around her neck. 

“This can’t be right. . .”

Sunny took a step back as Milk took one closer. “Can I take her down yet, or do we need to like, get evidence first?”

Sunny couldn’t even respond. Cherubi’s ghostly face shocked him too far into silence, and all he could do was attempt to stay on his feet as his classmates took in the horror before them.

“She couldn’t have hung herself. . .There’s no way. . ."

\- - - _Trial - - -_

”Here’s everything that happened in this case!”

“Three days ago, the seven sins despair disease began to affect us. Paired with the motive of having any wish granted, we feared a compromised person might bite, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. We had no idea we had a murder plan brewing, and not by our blackened, but rather, a victim.”

“The only one of us unaffected by the disease began to calculate who was afflicted by what, and that’s how they chose their target. They needed someone fairly obedient, willing to open up, and had a grudge against someone in the academy. Cherubi fit the criteria after spending a couple of hours consoling her, and her disease compromised state allowed her to get to her faster. Normally, it would have been hard to convince someone to kill for you. . .but secretly being the Ultimate Persuader allowed Athena some help in her plan.”

“We can deduct that Athena’s plan was relatively simple; convince Cherubi to kill, then assist her in covering up the crime and swaying the trial due to the influence she held under her fake ultimate detective title. Upon graduating, Cherubi would have her wish granted, no doubt asking Athena to graduate alongside her. Monokuma made it clear in the wish rules that if we wish to save someone with it, the maximum person was one. I have no doubt that was her intention, there’s no other reason she would have pushed Cherubi to act.”  
  
“Last night, the time finally came. After she was sure everyone was to bed, Cherubi made her way to her target's room, having asked beforehand to meet them after dark to discuss something she hadn’t yet been able to.”

“And yet, for all the disease was doing to her, and for how much Athena had managed to convince her to use her envied state to take out years of pent up rage she had. . .she couldn’t do it. I’m sure she would have been able to take down our blackened in a fight alone, so I’m sure she was talked down and surrendered.”

“Her only sign of struggle was the blood still under her fingernails, indicative of scratching, as well as her neck wound. When we previously considered she had hanged herself, we were immediately disproven by the rope burn on her neck, showing there was a constant strangling force applied. It was clear our murder tried to cover it up; they used concealer on her neck, which rubbed onto the rope slightly when we got her down from where she was left.”

“I’m sure Cherubi told her killer what had happened; that she was set up by Athena. She had to have. Otherwise, our killer wouldn’t have headed back to the library to meet up with Athena as Cherubi was supposed to upon her successful kill.”  
  
“Our killer is by no means to strongest person or best fighter; but they no doubt had the ability to overpower Athena, even if she had the high ground. I can only chalk up the brutality of the beating to the sin disease our killer had, being affected by terrible bouts of rage. I’m sure learning that you had a hit put out on you would piss anyone off, but this triggered their disease in the worst possible way. . .in the end, they allowed the wrath disease to fully take control.”

“We can tell that Athena was killed in the library by the blood spatter that could only have occurred as the direct cause of her head being slammed against the floor; she wasn’t killed elsewhere and placed there like Cherubi was.”

“After our blackened was sure Athena was dead, they went to the storage room to pick up the concealer used to cover Cherubi’s neck wound, as well as a different rope than the one used to strangle here, longer and more effective in making her appear she had hung herself.”

“Our killer didn’t do the best job in establishing a suicidal killer; no note left behind was suspicious, nor motive. And that’s why I’m sure of it when we say that our killer is-“  
  
 _”There’s far too much you’ve overlooked. Allow me to clear suspicion from my name.”_

\- - - - -

  
“We have far too many alibis unestablished to proceed.”

Sunny gripped the podium in frustration, intimidated by the glare he was receiving from across the podium. 

“Marcus’s insistence to remain around the body and in the library peaks my suspicion a fair bit.”

Marcus stood straighter. “I only stayed because Sunny and Brook asked someone to stay with the body, and you saw how sick I got.”

“A gag reflex isn’t hard to manually trigger.”

“Hold it. I can prove that Marc didn’t do it.”

Ciara’s voice cut through the courtroom, and she glared at his accuser.

“Over the past two nights, Marc and I have been sleeping in my dorm, him because he was worried my sloth might cause me to hurt myself, and me to talk to him and snap him out of it whenever his lust disease started to act up. I woke up a couple of times last night to keep him out of it. I don’t think he coulda’ snuck out and done it.”

“You came to get me yourself, and I’m positive Athena wouldn’t have set up Cherubi to kill Brook.”

Brooklin held back her tears from her side of the podium. “I still don’t think she could set Cherubi up like that. . .I don’t wanna believe she could lie to us that easily. . .”  
  
Ciara sighed. “She probably kept her real talent a secret so we wouldn’t be afraid of her. Look how that turned out. . .”

Milk shrugged from his side. “Are we done yet? I gotta pee.”

“No, we aren’t yet. There’s still a dramatic flaw in your argument.” Prince clarified, standing a tad straighter. 

“Monokuma, am I right in my claim that as soon as someone sees a dead person, their disease clears? It can be a killer with their victim, no?”

Monokuma nodded happily. “Sure does! As soon as you see that body, the fog lifts and the “oh no, what have I done?” Truly sets in! Amazing, isn’t it? You have no idea how much funding that cost us!”

“As you can see, I wouldn’t have beaten Athena to such a state with my mind cleared. If I truly killed Cherubi, my next calculated move would be how I’d cover up my crime. The half-assed suicide isn’t my forte.”

“No one else could have done it. . .” Sunny trailed off, feeling less confident in his words. Brooklin placed a hand on his shoulder, determination sweeping through her.

“Milk could have surely done it, he’s far more ruthless than me.”

Brook narrowed her eyebrows. “Milk refused to talk to anyone the past two days and’s been locked in his room. His disease hit him hard.”  
  
“Yeah man, I wouldn’t have done this. Blunt force trauma ain’t any fun.” Milk clarified, rocking back and forth. 

“Besides, if it’s okay for me to bring this up,”

Milk perked up, and Prince raised an eyebrow. “The way Athena was killed reminds me of the other day when you tried to beat my ass when I came out for food.”

Sunny blinked slowly, memory coming to mind. The scene he walked in on was jarring, Prince shoving Milk’s head onto the tile repeatedly and only stopping when Sunny yanked him off him. He had been far too put off the tell anyone else.

“I got proof, too.” Milk brought a hand to his bangs, lifting them and showing a large bruise forming on the top of his forehead. “I was there, it did happen,” Sunny spoke up, turning to Prince who glared at the two.

“You’re beaten. I think we’re all convinced, yeah?” Ciara asked, and the others hesitantly nodded. Prince remained silent, turning his gaze to the podium before him.

“You’re all convinced?” Monokuma voice split though, and Sunny cringed knowing what was coming. “Well then, you maggots know the drill! Place your votes on the screens before you, and pray you chose right! _Puhuhuhuhu~_ ”

\- - - - -

  
_"Right on the money! Cherubi Warner and Athena Silva's killer was in fact Prince Wisteria!"_

The worst kind of relief washed over the courtroom, and Ciara shook her head. 

"Hold it. Something's off."

Prince looked up silently from his podium, giving her a nod to proceed. His expression was unreadable; jarring, to say the least.

"You said it yourself, the disease woulda' been gone by the time you went to kill Athena. So why'd you do it?"

Prince cocked an eyebrow. "Are you daft? Athena sent Cherubi to kill me; imagine how it'd look to her if she's the only one that died. She would have made herself look awful in the courtroom during my expose, but it would have ensured I was caught. She was a loose end I needed to tie."

Marc took a step back. "Why'd you gotta overkill and do so much damage to her then? I thought the wrath would have excused it, but you didn't even have it?" 

Prince shrugged. "I was mad regardless. She attempted to put up a fight, that's not my problem."

"That's sick. . ." Brooklin trailed off with a shudder. Milk did the same. "No, that's hot. . ."  
  
Prince sighed, averting his gaze back down to his podium.

"There's something I'm confused about too," Sunny spoke up, and Prince refused to face him. "You have the floor, speak."

"Cherubi could have beaten you, yet there are clear signs she struggled. Why?"

Prince adjusted his glasses. "She came in crying saying she needed to do it to make up for the years of her life my family took from her. No doubt nonsense Athena managed to fill her head with. I was able to talk her out of it; that's when I was able to convince her to kill herself."

Sunny had to do a double-take. "I'm sorry, you what?"

"She was distraught; she agreed that the only way she could apologize and make Athena feel guilty for what she did was her death. I gave her the rope."

Ciara furrowed her eyebrows. "Then why the hell did she struggle? We saw the signs there was a fight."

"She already put the rope around her neck when she came to her senses; she started to ramble about how she wanted to live and that we could just move on and expose Athena."

"That's when everything got hazy for me. I just. . ."

Prince trailed off, sighing.

"I could only pull the rope. I didn't know where I was at that point or what I was doing; I just knew I needed to hurt. I knew I needed to kill."

Brook gritted her teeth in frustration. "Well, isn't that nice? You get a cute little excuse for killing her, don't you? Isn't that a nice setup?"

"Brook. . ." Marcus trailed off, Brooklin now freely letting her tears fall. Prince remained silent.

"It's not my fault. . ."

Milk cocked an eyebrow at this. "Dude, we know you're guilty-"  
  
"No."

Prince glared at Monokuma. "I wouldn't have had to kill if I was in the right state of mind. . . if Monokuma hadn't infected us. I'm sure Cherubi wouldn't have allowed Athena to influence her as such if she was in her proper state, too."

"I'm innocent; my conscience is clear."

"You killed Athena in cold blood!" Brook exclaimed, and Prince whipped his head to glare at her.

"She would have exposed me in the trial; I had no choice. This is the fault of Monokuma's, I'm innocent. I will stand by that until the end." 

"Speaking of the end-" Monokuma sung out, and Prince took a step back. "My execution, correct? I apologize, but I'll need a raincheck."

Before Monokuma could question, he whipped a gun from his jacket. "Prince, what-"

Sunny was cut off as Prince riddled Monokuma's body with bullets, the bear falling back and off the podium. Prince's breathing was ragged, and was sweating heavily; he was taking a last stand for his life.

"I refuse to die by the damned bear's hands." He gritted, and everyone's eyes were on the Monokuma still on the floor.

"It can't go down like that. . ." Marc trailed off in disbelief, and Sunny turned his gaze back to Prince. "Prince, put the gun down. You aren't in the right state to wield it-"

"Do you know how much each of my installments cost? I thought if anyone would, it'd be you!"

Monokuma's voice cut through the courtroom as a new one seemingly fell from the rafters, standing next to the shot up version.

Prince nearly stumbled over, standing and holding his to Monokuma. "I refuse. . ."

"I refuse to die by the bear. . .I refuse to die like this. . ."

No one was prepared for Prince to bring his pistol to his head.

"Prince, stop it!"

Ciara yelled, and Prince could only shake as he stalled, unable to bring himself to pull the trigger. His tears began to fall, and he hated how afraid he was.

"Do it."  
  
Milk spoke up, and Prince's breathing only became more rapid. "Do it! Take your own life with dignity, right? You try so hard not to let anyone dominate your life, the same should go for your death, right? This is the end!" The pale boy sang out, and Prince's hand shook so uncontrollably he could barely hold the gun.

He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't no matter how hard he tried. A pained yell came from it as another band echoed through the room, this one coming from Monokuma. "Hold it! I paid far too much for your execution to have you just off yourself, kid!"

Prince's gun fell to the floor, Prince clutching his shot hand, eyes shot wide as panic crossed his face. His eyes darted to everywhere in the courtroom before he screamed in a mix of anger and terror, darting to the door.

  
"Prince, where are you going?!" Sunny exclaimed, Brooklin following suit. "There's no exit, where are you gonna go?"

Prince didn't have an answer to that, and hadn't cared. It was the most undignified, ugly exit any of them had ever seen, halted by a collar similar to Kanaya's snapping around Prince's neck. He attempted to claw at it as he was dragged into the center of the courtroom.

"I'm surprised you wouldn't even tell them about the secret, Prince! My amazing execution won't make any sense unless you do!" Monokuma jeered, and Prince shot his head to him, panicked.

"Now then! I've prepared a very special punishment for Prince Wisteria, the Ultimate Musical Anthropologist! Doesn't roll off the tongue the same way "businessman" does, though."

Ciara gripped the side of her wheelchair in confusion. "Music anthropologist? So you lied like Athena?"

Prince continued to struggle wordlessly, feeling ashamed by the nature of his true talent he attempted to hide, even through his panic. He clenched his eyes shut, letting go of his collar, ready to give up on the struggle.

  
That's when a hand grabbed onto his, and his eyes shot open to see Milk, grabbing the railing behind him desperately with his free hand and clearly in pain from the strain. "I gotcha' babe-"

He grunted in pain, and Prince began to hold on as tight as he could, refusing to give up as fight re-entered his system. 

_'This. . .is this how Cherubi felt?'_

He aggressively blinked away his tears, and before he knew it, Brook rushed up to Milk, wrapping an arm around him to keep him secured. Marc felt inclined to help as well, now rushing up as Monokuma began to speak.

_"It's punishment time!~"_

Milk looked panicked, especially as the chain holding Prince went slack before yanking the hardest it had yet. Prince felt he was being strangled, and became lightheaded. 

"We gotta hold on!" Brook exclaimed painfully, and Milk grunted in approval, refusing to let go even if his arm was pulled out of its' socket. Prince was digging his nails into Milk's hand in desperation at this point, holding onto any hope that the pale boy would pull him away from his execution and into his arms, telling him he'd be okay. That'd Monokuma couldn't hurt him anymore.

All hope left him as another shot boomed through the room, cringing as Milk's blood-soaked his sleeve. An identical bullet hole to Prince's now cut through Milks' hand, and he accidentally let go from the impact. The pain didn't even register in him, all he could feel was panic as he let go of the banister, attempting to grab back on to Prince.

It was all for nothing. Prince lost all hope as he was yanked from the reach of his classmates; closing his eyes as he finally accepted it.

_**Prince has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!** _


	18. Cherubi and Kanaya Go Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine having insecurities haha

"I think this one would suit you!"

Kanaya turned her head to see the blond girl motioning to her from a rack away.

"Ooh, what did you find?"

She gasped gently as Cherubi pulled a pale pink, slightly ruffled dress with glitter strawberries dotting it.

"The strawberry dress!" She exclaimed, gently taking the garment from Cherubi's hands. "I didn't know they sold them here!"

"Ah, I saw it and thought it'd look adorable on you. . ."

Realizing what she said, Cherubi quickly blinked, bringing up her hands defensively.

"Not to be weird about it! I mean, you're very visually adorable but I didn't mean to make it awkward, I'm sorry, I saw it and thought of you-"

Kanaya smiled gently, and Cherubi felt her heart stop with an 'Oh no-' Echoing through her head.

"It's quite alright. I'm honored you would see such a cute dress and be reminded of me." She beamed, holding the dress up to her to see how long it'd be on her.

Cherubi cocked an eyebrow, slightly relieved. "Do you know the dress?"

"Mhm! It was famous on Instagram for a while but they always were either not my size, sold out, or too much money for me to get my hands on. . ."  
  
Kanaya flipped the tag, smiling slightly seeing it was her size. Her smile diminished as she eyed the price.

"Seems to be the latter. . ." She trailed off with an awkward chuckle, handing it back to the taller girl. 

Cherubi looked down at the dress, then back to the girl before her. "If you'd like, you can try it on! If you like how it fits, I'll buy it for you."

Kanaya turned back to her, fiddling with her fingers. "Oh, it's okay! It's kinda expensive."

Cherubi looked at the tag. "Well, you were kind enough to invite me out today. And you did buy me a coffee earlier."

"I don't know if a coffee holds the same value as a dress. . ."

Cherubi gently smiled. "Well, Christmas is coming up. If it makes you feel better, I can call it a Christmas gift?" Cherubi asked, and Kanaya looked to the floor.

"Is that really okay with you?" She asked gently, and Cherubi nodded eagerly. "Of course! Here, go ahead and try it on." She handed it back to the redhead, giving her a thumbs up. "If you'd like, I can wait out here for you?"

"Wait, hold on. . ." Kanaya eagerly trailed off, rushing back to a clothing rack two rows over.

"I saw something earlier, let me find it. . ."

She beamed, pulling a light green dress from the rack. It had a button-up top with a cute pleated collar, and Cherubi was in love with it. The puffy sleeves were on the shorter side, though. . .

"I saw this earlier and completely forgot about it! It reminds me of you, maybe we can try on the dresses together?" Kanaya asked with a smile. "It's not too costly; if you like it, maybe I can buy it for you to make up for the strawberry one?"

Cherubi blinked, before letting out an awkward chuckle. "Oh, it's quite alright. You don't need to buy me something in return; just think of it as an early Christmas gift."  
  
She stepped closer to the wrack, extending a hand to Kanaya. "May I?"

Kanaya handed her the dress, and she eyed it up. "I'll try it on. If I like it I can buy it for myself Kanaya, it's okay." She gave her a nod. "Are you sure?"

Kanaya looked concerned, and Cherubi simply smiled slightly back. "Not to be cheesy or weird, but I'm thankful you invited me out today. Your time is a return gift enough."

Kanaya beamed. "It's no problem! I'm having a ton of fun today!"

Cherubi had to avert her gaze to the floor, on the verge of happy tears. She instantly hated herself for it, blinking quickly. "Let me just see if they have this dress in my size, I think this one's a tad small. . ."

  
\- - - - -

  
"Hey, Cherubi? Are you ready?" Kanaya knocked on her dressing room stall lightly, silence greeting her first.

"Oh, yeah. You can come in."

Kanaya slowly opened the door, and Cherubi turned to face her, blinking a couple of times before shooting her a small smile.

"Aww, it looks adorable on you! Does it feel alright?"

Kanaya gave a small nod of her own, quickly forcing herself to look away from Cherubi's arm, not wanting to be rude.

 _'This is the first time I've seen her in short sleeves. . .'_  
  
The dress had a slightly lower neckline, and the top of her burnt scarring peaked out. She turned back to face herself in the mirror, cocking an eyebrow.

"The dress is lovely, it really is. And I'm honored you'd think of me when you saw it. . ."

She trailed off, and Kanaya realized the blonde had been subtly holding onto the sleeve in an attempt to pull it down as much as she could.

"I don't think it suits me."

Kanaya slowly strode up to her, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Forgive me, but. . ."

Kanaya took a deep breath, not too sure how to approach the situation.

"Do you not like it for what it shows?"

Cherubi quickly caught on, meeting eyes with the shorter girl in the mirror. She gently sighed.

"I thought I was over it, you know?" She said softly, posture dropping slightly. Kanaya looked to the floor, trying to gather her words.

"If it helps. . ."

"It took me a long time to hold value in the appearance of my body. There would be days where I wished I could have swapped bodies, or just not have a body at all."

Cherubi turned to face her directly.

"And sometimes, it still feels that way."

She began to awkwardly twirl one of her locks.  
  
"But I've had people in my life that have made me feel appreciated, and made me feel beautiful."

Ciara's widely smiling face flashed into her mind, and she smiled lightly.

"I'm thankful for the words of others; they have helped me so, so much. And I wanna help you like others have helped me."

"Because there's so, so much to love about you, Cherubi. You're a loving friend, and you always put your friends first; no matter what. You're beautiful and independent, and I admire that. You're an amazing girl, Cherubi. . ."

Kanaya now looked up to the girl looking blankly at her. Her expression didn't change as tears began to fall, and her chest heaved slightly as she choked out a sob.

"Aww, Cherubi. . ."

Kanaya wrapped her arms around the taller girl, and she stood awkwardly for a second before slowly accepting the hug, dropping her face into her shoulder.

Kanaya pulled away, giving her a soft smile. "You don't need to get the dress if you don't like it, but I think you look perfect in it."

Cherubi looked away, partially ashamed for crying as she did. She looked back to the mirror, wiping away her tears.

"Do. . ."

Kanaya followed her gaze to the mirror.

"If it helps, do you wanna talk about it?"  
  
Cherubi furrowed her eyebrows in concern, shaking her head lightly.

"It's in the past. . ."

She sighed lightly, adjusting her slightly fogged glasses.

"Besides, I don't wanna drown you in my problems. I'm alright."

Kanaya looked to her, concern crossing her face. "Friends help friends with their problems." She said, and Cherubi nodded. 

"I understand." She looked away awkwardly. 

"Tulip. . .said I should consider seeing a therapist or psychologist, and I've been considering it lately."

Kanaya smiled. "You should! I'm not ashamed to admit that I've used therapy before; it helps a lot." 

Cherubi gave her a gentle smile. 

"Thank you for the support today. . ."

"I. . .I think I'll buy the dress."

Kanaya took the blonde girl's hand in hers, now making eye contact. "We can gain confidence and get through this together."

Cherubi had to stop herself from crying again at the girl's kind words; she simply nodded quietly as she looked back to the mirror.

"If it's alright with you, would you like to do lunch? I know you paid for breakfast, I'd like to return the favor."

Kanaya smiled, releasing her hand and stepping toward the dressing room door. "What are we waiting for?"


	19. Cherubi and Kanaya Go Shopping (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never liked how this chapter turned out but lmao

"I'm back!"

Kanaya called out gently, opening the door to her girlfriend's dorm. Brooklin had gone out for the night; as such, Kanaya planned to stay the night.

"Hey." Ciara looked up from her phone, perking up as she took in Kanaya's appearance. 

"That dress is lovely on you." 

She stood, walking up to the shorter girl who smiled gently.

"Cherubi bought it for me for Christmas."

She smiled as Ciara brought her in for a hug, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Did you have fun with her today?"

Kanaya nodded, placing her bag on Ciara's chair. "Mhm! We went to the market, then the boutique where she found this dress. Also!"

Kanaya quickly rooted through her bag, pulling out a small cardboard box and handing it to Ci.

"They're cupcakes! We got lunch at a cute little place with a small bakery, and I saw these and thought of us!"

Ciara opened the box, smiling at the pastel decorated cakes inside. One was a light blue, and the other a light pink; both with a small dab of cotton candy shaped like a heart of the opposite color on top.

"These are cute." Ciara smiled, gently closing the box, walking over, and placing it on her desk.

"I know we were planning on just doing it simple tonight and ordering a pizza, but I wanted to get us some nice desert. . ."

Ciara felt her heart melt at the girl's words, chuckling slightly. "They look delicious, babe."  
  
"Nowhere near as sweet as you, but they might come close."

Kanaya chuckled, facing the standup mirror in the room.

"Cheesy, but I guess I can let it slide." She cooed playfully, cocking her head and she took in her appearance. 

"Hey. . .did you know that Cherubi was a burn victim?"

Ciara nodded slowly. "Mhm. I see her at the campus gym sometimes, it's the only time I ever see her not covering up her scars."

Kanaya sadly nodded. "Yeah. . ."

"I had to convince her in order for her to get a nice dress for herself that showed them," Kanaya said sadly, looking down to the floor.

"And I'm sure you did an excellent job being a wonderful and supportive friend, baby."

Kanaya smiled slightly, staring back into the mirror. She went silent.

"I know the dress is cute, but what do you really think?"

Ciara walked back up to her, hugging her from behind and resting her chin on the shorter girl's head. Kanaya sighed.

"I don't think the dress is terribly flattering. . ."  
  
Ciara furrowed her eyebrows in concern, holding the girl closer.

"I didn't wanna refuse, since she offered it as a gift, but. . .I nearly didn't accept it. . ."

"Kanaya."

Ciara said gently, turning the girl to face her gently and softly cupping her face in her hand.

"I can't think of a single thing that comes close to your beauty. From the most adored goddess to the cutest kitten, to the prettiest sunset . ."

Ciara pulled Kanaya in for a tight hug, the shorter girl snuggling into her chest.

". . .Nothing will ever be as gorgeous, ethereal and perfect to me."

"The dress only helps highlight the beauty you hold."

Kanaya quickly blinked away her tears, and Ciara pulled away from the hug, beginning the gently kiss the tears away. 

"Everything about you is gorgeous, Kanaya. You're perfect the way you are." She spoke as gently as she could, offering a small and loving smile. "I love you, Kanaya."

Kanaya could only happily pull the taller girl in for another hug.

"You're my everything. . .I adore everything about you. Never forget that."

\- - - - -

  
_'I. . .I haven't had one all day, have I?'_

Cherubi looked down at the cigarette packet she pulled from her bag, an eyebrow raised. Ever since she had parted ways with Kanaya, her mind hadn't registered that she needed one.

She sighed, slipping the white pack back into her bag as she gazed at the sky. She was seated on a bench under a weather roof, waiting for the rain to pass so she could walk a couple of blocks over to the bus stop. She squinted at the dark clouds that only seemed to continue to roll in.

"Maybe. . .maybe I should call an Uber instead. . ." 

She sighed, looking down at her phone. Tulip and Sunny were spending the night in Sunny's dorm; so she hadn't bothered to carpool back with them. _'Did Prince leave yet?'_ She thought, turning her gaze back to the entrance of the diner. 

The four of them went for dinner, Cherubi arriving slightly late. She toyed with the hem of her skirt as she remembered her arrival.

Tulip practically shot out of the booth, circling her happily and commenting that it was nice to finally see her wear a dress like that. Sunny said it was cute, and Prince gave one of his typical disinterested agreements. Cherubi smiled lightly, thankfully the odd bunch managed to keep her distracted throughout the course of dinner so she didn't have the time to let her thoughts drift into wondering if anyone was staring at her scars.

She slipped her phone into her bag, craning her neck to the sky and closing her eyes. She really didn't wanna have to pay the more expensive uber rate, and was considering if she should just bolt through the rain. She really didn't wanna ruin the dress. . .

"Are you waiting for a ride?"

She slowly peeked an eye open at the familiar voice, Prince twirling an umbrella over his shoulder slightly.

"Just waiting for the rain to stop."  
  
Prince sneered, looking up. "I think you'll be waiting for some time, then."

"Where did you get that?" Cherubi asked, not recalling him having an umbrella throughout the night.

"Unlike you, I check the weather beforehand."

Cherubi snorted, sitting up a tad straighter. "Are you walking back?"

Prince shook his head. "I already called for a Lyft. Would you like to hitch a ride?"

Cherubi blinked, unsure of why this seemed out of character for him. She looked back to the sky which only seemed to pour harder before sighing.

"That'd be great, thanks. Do you want me to cover half the fare or something in exchange?"

Prince looked at her in disgust. "What do you take me for? I can cover the cost on my own."

  
She could only chuckle at the snobbish way he said it. "Just common courtesy to ask, man."

"Actually. . ." Prince trailed off, and Cherubi nodded to show she was listening. "I do have a favor to ask in return."

"Arlo's having his boyfriend over tonight, again, without my consent," Prince said exasperatedly. "Yeah, you can stay over. I don't think Tulip would have a problem with it, but I'm gonna ask." Cherubi said, already predicting where this was going.

"No, that isn't it."

Cherubi looked up at the man in confusion. He only stared straight ahead, as if the building across the street was the most interesting thing in the world.

"I've already gotten arrangements planned for the night. That's why I'm requesting you don't speak of it to anyone when you see me exiting at a dorm hall that isn't mine." 

Cherubi looked at him, fighting her slight annoyance at how vague he was being. "What, you got a hookup or drug deal planned or something?"

Prince turned to glare at her, and she gave an innocent smile in return. He sighed. 

"Yes."

Cherubi wasn't expecting that one. She could only slowly nod.

"So. . .is it the drug deal or the hookup option-"

"It's not "a hookup"." He clarified in annoyance, adjusting his glasses. Cherubi could only shrug slightly, deciding against prying further.  
  
"Whatever you wanna call it, stay safe. Do you feel safe with whoever it is or are you just horny and not thinking straight?"

She scooted over, and Prince took a seat on the other side of the bench.

"I'll be fine." He said sternly, still facing forward. Cherubi narrowed her eyebrows, pulling out her phone. She smiled slightly, seeing that Tulip had responded to her text asking if she and Sunny had gotten to his dorm safely with a green heart emoji and a thumbs-up emoji.

"Text me later to tell me you're okay, alright?" She said softly, causing him to nearly roll his eyes in annoyance.

"You don't need to act like my caretaker, but if it gets you off my back, I will." He said before huffing in annoyance. ". . .Thank you for the concern, regardless."

She only nodded, fiddling with the hem of her skirt again. He seemingly took notice, sitting up a tad straighter. 

"I haven't seen you show your arms or neck in years."

She turned, now making eye contact with him as she subconsciously began to pull slightly at her sleeve. "Is that meant in a negative or positive way. . .?"

Prince sighed, now looking down at his shoes. "I meant it in a positive air. I'm glad to see you've seemed to reach some type of closure."  
  
Cherubi shrugged slightly. "I don't know about that. It took a lot of hyping up from Kanaya to get it. . ."

Prince's expression didn't change. "Is that so. . ."

She could swear she saw a flash of guilt in his dark irises. 

"Does. . ."

She trailed off, unsure if she should bring it up before sighing and giving in.

"Does anything ever remind you of it? The fire?"

Prince crossed his arms and legs. "Of course. Whenever I go out, I sit somewhere with a clear view of all exits in case I'd need to escape." He said, and Cherubi nodded. 

"The smoke. . ."

Prince cocked an eyebrow, and Cherubi let out a shaky sigh before continuing. "Sometimes, I'll smell my smoke and I just. . .I'm back. In the fire. I can't stop thinking of it, and it doesn't help that my cigs cause half the things I own to smell like it. It's gotten really bad recently. . ."

She hated herself as she began to cry again. "Have you ever felt as close to death as you did there?"

  
Prince was forcing himself to look at the ground, trying to block out the crying. "You didn't need to do that to yourself." He spat, and Cherubi frowned.

"No one else was gonna save you-"

"-Exactly that. I didn't need to be saved by you."

She wiped away her tears. "You would have died if I didn't, and I'm sure both you and I know that."

He went silent. "Yes, I do understand. And that's why seeing you embrace the scars today made me feel a bit better because it helps lift my guilt a tad. You only got yourself in that situation due to my cowardliness, after all."

Cherubi looked at him as he continued to stare at the wet pavement before sighing slightly.

"Even though I got scarred, I'm glad I did what I did. So don't feel guilty about it, K? You were a kid and scared of fire, to begin with. I don't blame you."

She placed a hand gently on his shoulder, smiling lightly as he didn't remove it as she thought he would. 

"And don't think it's because "it was my job", okay? You can be a prick, a lot, but I'm glad you're around. A lot of people are." She said softly, fearing she went a bit far with the prick comment.

Before he could respond, his phone dinged, at he pulled it from his jacket pocket. 

"The ride is nearly here." 

He stood, and Cherubi followed suit, gently smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt as she stood. She sighed gently, looking up to see it was still raining.

  
"Man, I really wished the rain let up at least a teeny bit."

Prince handing her his umbrella threw her for a loop. She gave him a confused look, and he sighed.

"Ladies first. ..?"

She had to chuckle at that, taking it gently as she watched the car rounded the corner. Oh well. At least he tried.

"What a gentleman." She said with a chuckle, watching as Prince pulled his hood over his head with a sarcastic smile of his own.


	20. Prince and Milk babysitting Malachi Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon time skip AU! The past ones have been mainly college or dangan AU, so this is the first canon thing I'm uploading.

"Are you looking forward to it?"

Malachi looked up from the sketchbook Milk had gifted him, twirling his pencil slightly. "Huh?" He asked, and Prince sighed from his spot on the couch. 

"Your parents getting married." He clarified, not turning his gaze from the newspaper he held. "Are you looking forward to it?"

Malachi perked up slightly. "Mhm! Did you know that it's gonna be red and blue themed? I was wondering which color I'd get to wear, and they got me a purple suit since it's a mix!"

"I see. . ."

Prince now looked from his newspaper to the boy sitting against the coffee table on the floor.

They hadn't left Malachi in his care too many times; usually only when Milk wasn't at work and could help watch. Prince blinked, narrowing his eyes slightly. Of course, the kid wouldn't look like either of his fathers, but. . .

Prince had to admit, the boy carried an emotional resemblance reminiscent of Eli.

"Do you know how your parents met. . ." Prince trailed off, and Malachi nodded slightly. "In high school, I think."

That slightly threw Prince for a loop. "Huh. I assumed they met on the ship."

Malachi looked at him, expression leaking confusion. "Ship?"

Prince sat up a tad straighter. "Yes. Didn't they tell you that they were astronauts previously?" 

Malachi looked as if the dots in his head connected. "Oh! That's what you meant by ship. I thought you were talking about like, a boat or something." He said, and Prince shook his head slightly.

_'Stupid boy. . .'_

"They didn't tell you much about the ship, did they?"

Malachi set down his notebook and pencil, continuing to stay seated. "Papa told me that they made a lot of friends on the trip! And dad said it brought him and papa closer together." He said with a slight smile.  
  
Prince's gaze narrowed. "So, they haven't yet told you about the killings? The trip wasn't entirely sunshine and rainbows, boy."

"Killings?" Malachi could simply echo, now fiddling with his fingers in concern. "Aunt Rubi told me that some astronaut ships used to have really really bad killing games, but. . ."

"I didn't know that that happened on their ship. . ." He trailed off sadly, now dropping his head. "I always thought it has to be terrible to lose your crewmates after being friends and working with them like that. . .they must miss theirs a lot."

Prince cocked an eyebrow in annoyance. 

"Cherubi didn't give you the full story? Nor an explanation on how the system even worked?" He asked in annoyed disbelief, and Malachi simply shook his head. Prince huffed.

"Well kid, do you want the truth?" He asked, and a rush of fear went through Malachi's system at Prince's severe expression.

Prince had checked out, especially as his memories flashed back to him. Arlo's dead body was the stuff of nightmares, and he hated to admit he still had them.  
  
"Your father died."

Malachi was the most confused he had been in a while, potentially in his entire life. "Papa and dad aren't dead. . ." He said with a frown, and Prince rolled his eyes. "Of course they aren't permanently dead. When he died on the ship, it was but a simulation, but it felt real. It was our reality. We were forced to kill each other, either by sacrificing whoever we thought was guilty, or those forced to be guilty acting. And Arlo was a victim."

Malachi could only slowly shake his head in disbelief. "But. . ."

"Who would want dad dead? I don't understand-"

_"Prince."_

Both Prince and Malachi cocked their heads to the front of the living room, seeing Milk return with some art supplies he planned on retrieving for his "nephew".

"What are you saying about Arlo-"

"It was him." Prince spat, and Milk caught on quickly enough. "Prince, stop this, Arlo and Eli will tell the kid when they're ready-"

Prince gritted his teeth, shooting a glare to the taller man. Ever since their argument the day prior, tension had been building in the home, and even Malachi could pick up on it.

"You see that, boy? He's attempting to deny what he's done. He killed him, Malachi. He killed Arlo in cold blood. He assured he'd horrify both of your dads and did all he could to hurt them."

Malachi couldn't register what Prince was saying. Sure, Uncle Milk was kinda scary sometimes, but Malachi trusted the goofy man. He seemed to care about his dads. . .

Milk and Prince both fell silent, but Milk didn't mirror Prince's aggression. He stood still, and Malachi felt his stomach churn as the pale man's face turned into one of guilt.  
  
"Uncle Milk. . ." He stood from where he was seated, backing up a step. "You wouldn't do that, I don't believe-"

"You want proof?" 

Prince now stood from the couch in anger. "Arlo. He suffers from chest pains chronically, correct?" 

Malachi slowly nodded. "Milk stabbed him in the chest with his horns. Our injuries sustained in the false reality continue to affect us in real life; hence why he has those pains."

Milk stayed silent, and Malachi backed himself into the wall. Milk simply sighed.

"Arlo's gonna kill you for tellin' him." He said quietly, now turning to Malachi. "Do you wanna go get ice cream, kid? Or a snack? Whatever ya' want works for me, okay?" He said as gently as he could, attempting to cover his guilt with a small smile. Prince huffed.

"What, are you attempting to take him from my care out of fear I'll tell him about just how monstrous you were? Just how monstrous you still are?" Prince spat, and Milk cringed from his vicious tone.

"I'm takin' my nephew for a snack. C'mon kid, we can also stop at the craft store and pick you up a couple more markers if ya'd like? My treat."  
  
Malachi turned his gaze back to Prince, who took his seat back on the couch. He turned his head, and the two met eyes. 

"Get out of my sight." 

Malachi cringed from his vicious tone, but still felt hesitant to go with Milk, especially after what Prince had just said. He sucked it up, walking out of the living room with the tall man and following him out the front door.

"Did'ya grab your coat?"

Malachi realized he hadn't as he climbed in the passenger seat of Milk's truck; Milk simply pulled his heavy fire station jacket from the seat behind it and handed it to him. "For if it gets too cold for ya', it gets terrible this time of year. . ."

"So, what were you thinkin' of for food, kiddo?"

It dawned on Milk that Malachi had simply been starring silently at the floor of the vehicle, and Milk cringed slightly as he realized the poor boy was probably afraid.

"Kid. . ."

Milk frowned, turning his key and starting the loud vehicle up. 

"I'll. . .I'll tell ya' everything over dinner, okay? Let's just go and I'll tell ya' there." He said, and Malachi could only nod.

"McDonald's. . .is that okay with you?"


	21. Marriage Proposal Rejection Ft. Milk and Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prologue to the previous chapter, so this chapter happened first, then the last.

_'Is Creamy asleep?'_

Prince thought to himself as he stepped through the doorway to his home, looking around as their dog didn't happily run up to him.

"Must be." He said quietly, setting his briefcase on the kitchen table and sliding off his coat. He saw Milks' truck in the drive and was slightly surprised the man didn't run up to him like an excited puppy either.

He walked into the dim living room, not seeing any sign of him there either. He looked down at his watch. _'It's only 5:30. . .'_

He walked to the two's shared room, squinting lightly into the dim space as he cracked open the door and stepped in.  
Milk was sprawled out on the bed, and their dog was sleeping on the foot of it. Prince attempted to keep his footsteps quiet, sneaking over to the sleeping man.

He went to work considerably more early than Prince did, usually leaving the house by seven at the very latest while Prince didn't need to leave until 9:30. Milk generally exerted himself more at his workplace as well, yet it wasn't a common occurrence to find Milk asleep so early.

Prince cocked an eyebrow, noticing that the pale man had fallen asleep clutching a sketchbook that wasn't his typical burnbook. Milk had been sleeping better lately, so Prince hadn't needed to worry about waking him as he gently took the notebook from his hands. He stayed standing as he began to flip through the book.  
  
It wasn't Milks' typical sketch-style work; Prince blinked as he realized it was mainly realistic portraits. A couple of people Prince hadn't known, but a couple he did. Tulip. Kanaya. Sunny. Marc. Athena. Plenty of his past crewmates were pictured. He smiled gently seeing a couple of portraits of himself, tracing his finger lightly over the illustrations. He seemed to be happy in each of the ones he saw.

Prince cocked his head as he flipped through a blank section of paper, yet could tell that the pages near the end of the book had been used due to their corners.

Prince hadn't been prepared for what he was about to see.

Page, after page, after page. Just Eli.

Eli drawn smiling, crying, in various poses. Eli drawn angry, scared, and Prince slowly closed the sketchbook as drawings of the more sexual variety began to appear. He turned his gaze back to his snoozing roommate, and Creamy whimpered slightly, noticing Prince was home. Prince quickly set the sketchbook back upon to bed close to Milk, and sat down next to his pup, petting his scruffy head. Milk seemed to wake as the bed dipped slightly from Prince's weight, and he groaned as he sat up.

"Hey, doll."

Prince always liked Milks' waking up voice, but his annoyance from what he saw in the sketchbook didn't allow it to register. 

He simply continued to pet his dog, turning to Milk. "You seem awfully tired."

Milk sighed, running a hand through his unruly locks. "Stressful day. How was yours?"

Prince shrugged, loosening his tie. "Average. Thankfully I didn't have to bring any work home tonight."  
  
Milk smiled gently at this, rolling over and patting the bedside close to him. Prince blinked. "I haven't even taken off my shoes yet."

Milk pouted playfully. "C'mon. Just a couple minutes?" 

Prince unlaced his leather shoes, tucking them to the side of the bed. After what he saw in the sketchbook, it didn't sit easily with him. Regardless, he lay down, tucking close to Milk and resting his head against his chest like normal. Milk smiled in a dreamy haze as he always did when Prince agreed to this, and brought a hand to his head, and Prince purred slightly as Milk gently stroked his hair.

Both men stayed silent, and their dog hopped off the bed and curled up on his pet bed in the corner of the room.

"You got the invitation, correct?"

Milk looked down to the shorter male. "The wedding? Yeah."

Prince nodded slowly. "Are you planning on going?"

Milk remained silent. "Probably. You?"

"Yes, I am."

Silence.

". . .Hey, I got somethin' for you. . ."

Prince cocked an eyebrow and Milk slipped off the bed and away from his grasp. "You asked me to lay with you only to get up after a solid minute?"

Milk scoffed playfully, walking up to his dresser and beginning to root through the top drawer. Prince sighed, knowing it was his underwear and sus drawer.

"Milk, I'm really not in the mood for-"

"No, no, wait, this isn't what you think. . ."

Milk stuck out his tongue as he rooted through, smiling as he seemingly found it. "You gotta close your eyes, promise me you'll close them?"  
  
Prince now sat up, scooting to the foot of the bed. "That's awfully childish, don't you think?"

Milk pouted at him, and he rolled his eyes playfully. "Fine."

He brought his hands over his eyes for assurance, and heard Milk giggle and walk closer, seemingly stopping before him. It got silent for a couple of seconds.

"You can look now, doll."

Prince slowly peeked them open, and all his anticipation and giddiness leaked away in a split second.

Milk was on a single knee before him, and Prince's heart dropped into his stomach seeing that he was holding a small box.

"Wait, before you say anything-" Milk panicked, seeing Prince's face shift. "-Please, listen to me, hear me out. . ."

Prince tried to keep from scowling, but Milk seemed relieved at his silence.

"Look, I know we aren't even together, but. . .We're gettin' better, right? I'm goin' to therapy, and I'm getting help, and you are too. Aren't we in a state where we've improved enough for it?" He asked sadly, looking down to the still closed box.

"You. . ."

"When we left, it was because you wanted to be yourself, right? You wanted to embrace who you are, love freely, all that. Haven't we waited enough for it? You're doing great these days, and I am too-"

"Milk, shut up."

Milk cringed slightly, opening his mouth to explain himself.

"Milk, I don't love you. When we decided to move in, it was on the foundation that we're simply roommates that satisfy each other's needs, correct?"  
  
Milk nodded sadly, dropping his head so he wouldn't have to look at him.

"Yes, I did leave due to that. But you're missing the point. It wasn't for you."

"Then why do you always say "maybe one day" when I ask? Why are you always pushing us into the future? Are you afraid or somethin'?" Milk asked desperately, anger seeping into his features. "I haven't seen ya' try to get with anyone else. I know you like me." He spat, and Prince's anger mixed with slight guilt at his lack of an explanation.

"Milk, calm down," Prince said, and Milk simply shook his head. "No Prince, I want you to make me understand." He reinforced, and Prince sighed, standing from the bed and crouching in front of Milk.

"Stuart. . ."

Milk furrowed his eyebrows, about to retort, only for Prince to grab him by his collar and yank him forward. Milk didn't understand why Prince had pulled him in to kiss him, and he didn't respond to it. As such, Prince didn't deepen the kiss, he simply pulled away, keeping his grip on Milk's collar.

"Don't "Stuart" me, Prince."  
  
Prince felt more annoyed and returned Milk's glare. "I'm not good for you, Milk. We've been over this. We're not a good match."

"Then why do you gotta pretend we might have a future? Why do you gotta kiss me and make me feel loved. . ."

Milk said this through tears.

"Everythin' I've done's been in an effort for you to see me as worthy. The brain surgeries hurt like hell, you know that? But I do it hoping my improvement from it might make you see me as changed. . .I didn't even wanna remember everythin' I have, I would have been fine staying as I was. But I wanted you to love me. . ."

Prince refused to respond, and Milk couldn't stand to look at him further. He set the box in Prince's lap, getting up.

"Ya' can just keep it. . .I need a drink."

Milk started to walk away, and Prince needed to say it.

"Why would you want my love, and want to ask to be mine when you still aren't over him?"

Milk stopped, refusing to turn back. His posture dropped considerably. "So, you would bring that up. . ."

Prince cocked an eyebrow, having a feeling Milk knew he saw his sketchbook. 

"Well? Answer me."

Milk refused to answer. He stood still, simply shrugging before walking out of the room.


	22. Milk and Prince Run Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good ol' classic running away from your homophobic dad with your guard dog. 
> 
> Suggestive content warning.

“Well, that’s done.”

Prince took the phone from his ear, the person on the other end already have hung up.

“And?” 

Milk looked over from his hotel bed, sprawled out. Prince set his phone on the center table.

“I’m starting next week as VP of Reach for the Stars Aeronautics Inc. Cherubi’s VP.” He said with a slight smile, and Milk nodded. 

“Nice, so ya’ _won’t_ starve. How long do you plan on doin’ this?”

Prince sat on the bed next to Milk, giving a shrug. “Until I’m sure what I wish to pursue next. I’m sure this won’t be the worst venture in the world.”

Milk perked up. “Well, do ya’ want me to head out tomorrow when ya’ try to find a place?” 

Prince turned to look at Milk, who stared up at the ceiling. “I can probably find an odd job stockin’ or somethin’ and get a place-“

“You’re staying with me.”

“Hm?” Milk hummed out, sitting up slightly. “I’m not workin’ for you or your dad anymore, if you want, I can let ya’ do this alone.”

“If I asked you to stay. . .”

Milk was taken aback as Prince scooted in front of him on his knees, and Milk flinched as Prince brought a hand to his face, only for him to cup it.

“. . .would you?”

Milk nodded before playfully smiling. “Why so serious Princey, I ain’t gonna go anywhere-“  
  
Prince shut him up by planting a kiss on him, slotting one of his knees in the space between Milk’s legs as he grabbed the pale boy by the collar, pulling him down slightly to meet his height as they started to make out.

  
Prince huffed, pulling away, and Milk couldn’t control the lopsided grin that crossed his face. “What was that for?” He said lightly, and Prince simply pulled the taller boy in for a hug, tucking his head against his shoulder. “What, do ya’ need me to service ya’ or somethin’? Just cuddly horny or-“

“Shut up and let me have this, Milk.”

Milk blinked, as he realized the man was starting to cry against his shoulder as he held him. 

“Ah, doll, it’s okay. . .”

Milk wrapped his arms around the shorter man and began to rub circles in his back in an attempt to comfort him.

“You’ve had quite the day, haven’t ya’? Are ya’ okay?” 

Prince sniffled lightly, and Milk gently took the glasses from his face, using his long reach to set them on the table. 

“I’m fine,” Prince said, and as Milk turned back to Prince, the man pulled him back into another kiss, and Milk simply was confused as he returned it, his tongue competently and happily clashing against Prince’s seemingly competitive and chasing one.

The two pulled away, and Milk was seemingly enamored by the spit trail Prince left as he did. 

“I’m. . .”

Prince sat back, and Milk nodded for him to continue.

“I lost everything, but. . .I’m free, correct? I can do whatever I want with my life. I can love whoever I want. . .”

“I love you. . .”

Milk felt his breathing stop as he heard this, heart racing. He’d never heard anyone say it to him before.

“Woah, you sure about that?” Milk attempted to chuckle it off, and Prince took him by the shoulder, pushing him down against the mattress. He felt himself sink slightly as Prince now put weight on him, on his knees and caging the lying man under him, peppering Milk’s face with kisses.  
  
“Yes, please, don’t leave. . .”

“You can’t leave me Milk, I love you. I can love anyone I want now, I gave everything for this. . .”

Milk inhaled sharply as Prince stopped the assault of kisses across his face, how sighing as he lay on top of him, cuddling into his chest.

“Ya’ sure ya’ don’t just need a shag to getcha’ outta the cuddly mood?” 

Prince shook his head gently. “Just lay with me, please. . .”

Prince smiled slightly in contempt, and Milk wrapped an arm around him slightly. “I ain’t gonna leave ya’ Prince.”

“And I love ya’ too.”


	23. Cherubi Meets Veebee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, future AU!

_'Oh, are you serious. . .'_

The white-haired girl scowled at the vending machine before her and looked down the hall. No one to help.

_'I only have 5 minutes before I gotta go back to work. . .'_

The gummi bear bag hung tantalizingly from a hook, and Vanilla sighed, knowing she couldn't even get her money back at this point.

"Screw it."

She muttered quietly, before wrapping her arms around the vending machine and shaking it aggressively. The thought that she should have tried to stick her arm in the slot didn't even register as she attempted to get the bag to fall; to no avail.

She stopped her shaking, letting the machine down and sighing slightly as she furrowed her eyebrows. She wiped her somewhat sweaty palms on her barista apron, attempting to gather the strength to shake it again.

"Um, pardon me. . ."

She whipped her head around, blinking awkwardly as she realized a taller girl in a grey suit had been watching her the entire time with a bewildered expression. 

"Uh. . ."

Vanilla slowly blinked, not sure how to explain her action. The taller girl looked to the machine, giving a gentle smile. "Ah, it does this a lot, doesn't it? I really ought to submit a work order. . ."  
  
"We already have. . ." Vanilla trailed off, locking eyes with the taller woman. "I work in the Starbucks down here, and every time we try to submit one, maintenance ignores us."

The lady simply blinked, nodding slowly as she turned her gaze back to the machine. "I see. May I?" She stepped closer to the machine, and Vanilla stepped back. 

The woman looked both ways down the hall, looking back to the machine as she was assured no one was looking. She took a deep breath, as well as a step back.

Vanilla wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't for the lady to kick the side of the machine with a surprising amount of force. As the bag swung from it, and she quickly whipped around and smacked the glass front, causing the bag to sway off the hook and fall to the bottom. 

The taller girl grabbed the bag from the bottom, walking up to Vanilla with a triumphant smile. "Here you are."

She could only take the bag gently, and the taller woman looked to her watch. "I'll see what I can do to get this fixed. Have you been here long? I can excuse you for being late back to your shift if so."

Vanilla perked up as she realized she was late back. She looked back to the taller girl, wondering how she could do that. Maybe she was the location manager for Starbucks?

"Oh, um, it’s okay, I can try to get myself out of this. . .”

The girl nodded. "It's no trouble at all, trust me. I'm sorry you had to see me be so uncouth towards this. . .” She beckoned for her to follow her as she strode off towards the coffee shop down the hall, and Vanilla somewhat struggled to keep up with her long strides.

  
"So! Do you work upstairs in the space department?" The shorter girl attempted to make small talk, and the taller unnamed girl looked down at her as she caught up to her and began to walk next to her.

She blinked before letting out a gentle chuckle. "Yes, I do.”

“Uh. . .”

Vanilla cocked an eyebrow as the girl's confident air seemed to fade away.

“I’m Cherubi. . .is it alright if I have your name?”

Cherubi? She didn’t know where she’d heard it before, but it rang a bell.

“I’m Vanillite. But, my friends usually call me Vanilla, or Vanny, or Veebee. Uh, Veebee because my last name is Bean. It’s like, a combo of the names.”

She realized she had been rambling, but Cherubi simply nodded with a small smile. “It’s a lovely name, Vanillite. It’s been great to have met you.”

  
Arriving at the front of the open Starbucks lobby, Vanilla watched as people turned to watch the two walk in. She hadn’t known why, and felt odded out as people did so.

She looked up, and the girl's expression changed to one of composed seriousness as she approached the front desk, thankful there wasn’t a line. 

She looked over the working staff, smiling slightly seeing the manager on duty. She waved him over, and the man perked up, seemingly in panic as he rushed over.

“Chairwoman! How can I help you, is something wrong?”

Vanilla blinked awkwardly, coming to a realization where she’d heard her name before. 

_’She owns the building, doesn’t she-‘_

“Mr. Stanley, correct? Quite the contrary, I’d just like to ask if you can pardon Vanillite for her tardiness back to her shift. She had slight troubles with the vending machine down the hall, is it correct that your work orders have gone ignored?”

The manager Vanilla thought hated her nodded his head eagerly. “Of course, I will. And yes, maintenance usually doesn’t take us too seriously down here. . .”  
  
“That’s unfortunate. I’ll see what I can do to get them to assist you all down here more, alright? Please continue to keep up the great work!” 

The manager nodded eagerly, and Cherubi smiled slightly, walking out of the lobby. 

Her manager walked away, leaving Vanilla standing alone, watching Cherubi walk away. “See you later. . .” She trailed off quietly, and she blinked awkwardly as Cherubi turned slightly, even though Vanilla knew she couldn’t possibly hear her from there.

She gave a small, gentle wave to the shorter girl before turning back, leaving.  
  



	24. Veebee Asks Cherubi Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These bitches gay, good for them! Also, I'm a sucker for the CEO / normal person troupe uh
> 
> Ft. The creator of Arlo, Athena and Eli, Illunga, love you bitch <3

“Do you think they’re dating?”

Illunga looked from the order she had been preparing to her coworker, following Vanilla's gaze to a table across the room.

“Hm? Nah.”

Vanilla slowly nodded, sighing slightly. “I don’t know. . .”

“They’re probably just coworkers,” Ili said reassuringly, watching as the blonde girl sitting there chuckled at something, and the man across from her simply rolled his eyes, fiddling with a strand of his purple hair.

“Hey, if you want to get her attention before someone else does. . .”

Ili turned back to the drinks she had been preparing, yanking the black permanent marker from her apron.

“Try writing your number for her.”

Vanilla awkwardly laughed, turning back to her own order she’d been making. “Absolutely not, this isn’t fanfiction.”

Ili shrugged, handing her the marker. “Worth a shot. You don’t need to ask for a date, just ask if you wanna hang out or something.”

Vanilla sighed, looking back at the girl she had been watching. She came in a couple of times each week, usually with the same guy, and always did the same thing; ordered for the two, picked up the drinks, and tipped generously. Vanilla smiled, knowing the taller girl had started calling her Veebee affectionately over the past couple days. Maybe she would at the very least wanna be friends? 

“I guess. . .it’s worth a shot.” 

Ili clapped once in excitement, ushering herself to the front desk to take an order. “Their drinks are done, just write what you gotta.”

Vanilla took a deep breath, popping off the cap of the marker and trying to think of a proper thing to write. 

She turned her gaze back to Cherubi, tummy filling with butterflies as she watched the girl apply lipstick, pulling a tiny mirror from her purse. 

_’She looks nice with that red. . .’_

She turned her gaze back to the cup, nodding as she gathered something to write.  
  
 _”If it’s okay with you, I’d love to get to know you a bit better! Would you like to go out sometime? :))”_

She quickly jotted her number underneath the message, capping the marker and looking up. 

“Order for Cherubi!”  
  
She called, watching as the girl stood and walked up.

“Thank you Veebee.” She said with a smile, not seeing the message as she took the cups in her hands.

“No prob!” She said in response, somewhat nervously rocking on her heels.

Cherubi turned on her heels, watching back, and Vanilla couldn’t force herself to turn her gaze, waiting for her to read the message.

Then, it happened. She turned the cup as she arrived, seemingly reading it over and giving what looked like a sad smile.

“Oh no-“

Vanilla had to verbalize as Cherubi handed the cup to the man she was with.

She wrote it on the wrong cup.

Her panicked eyes locked with the man's purple ones as he turned to look at her, annoyance clear on his face. He seemingly sighed and beckoned Cherubi, and Vanilla wished she could hear what he was saying.  
  
Cherubi now stood up, and Vanilla's nerves continued to build as she walked up to her. “Veebee?”

She gulped nervously, and Cherubi brought her hands up defensively. “It’s okay, I just wanted to tell you that my friend is homosexual, and while he’s flattered, he isn’t interested.”

Vanilla turned her gaze back to the man. “He doesn’t seem that flattered.” She blurted, and Cherubi had to hold in a snort.

“Eh, that’s how he emotes.” She said gently. “Don’t let it offend you, he likes the attention but he just doesn’t know how to show it.”

Vanilla fiddled with one of her braids. “It wasn’t for him. . .”

Cherubi blinked blankly. “I, uh, meant for the note to be for you. . .I was too nervous and wrote it on the wrong cup, though.”  
  
Cherubi’s expression didn’t change, but a blush covered her face as she turned her gaze away from Vanilla’s eye contact.

“Oh! You didn’t need to go that far, with the cup and all. I appreciate it, though! It’s a cute gesture.”

She smiled gently, pulling a business card from her suit pocket, as well as a pen. She flipped it to its blank backside and began writing.

“Yes, I’d love to get to know you better. I left my personal number on the back so you can contact me, okay?” She said softly, slipping Vanilla the card. 

The contact as their fingers met was electrifying, and Vanilla had to reinforce to herself that it couldn’t be. She was a Starbucks worker and she was a CEO, they couldn’t be more different. She was sure she was doing this out of pity, anyways.

“Thank you. . .”

Vanilla trailed off, not able to look down to the card as she kept her eye contact on Cherubi’s lightly blushing face. 

“My pleasure, Veebee. I’ll talk to you later.” She said gently, waving slightly as she walked back to the table.

Vanilla let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, watching as Cherubi sipped from her coffee, seemingly listening to her friend ramble on about something.

“Vanilla, can you take this order?”

Ili called as she was making an order, and Vanilla snapped back to reality, slipping the card in her pocket.

“Yep, on it!”


	25. Eli Consoles Milk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yum, exposition

“I think I get what you’re saying.”

Eli gently lifted his head from staring at the floor, now looking up to the pale man seated on the bed next to him.

For the past two days, Milk had been uncharacteristically silent, and hadn’t even attended all his classes today. Eli always found him lying on his bed, staring directly at the ceiling wordlessly.

“I. . .” Eli attempted to gather his thoughts, not feeling right to look at the man's face. The solemn, depressed look on it didn’t suit him.

“I think you should go for it, Milk.”

Milk only sighed, now looking to the wall directly in front of him. “Figured ya’d say that.”

Eli pouted slightly, not sure what else to say.

Sure, the surgery Milk was offered was free as a trial. But still, regaining 14 years of memories, the majority of his missing life, was a lot to handle. Even at that, the memories Milk still had and had told Eli of didn’t seem terribly pleasant.

“Y’know. . .” The man spoke as softly as Eli had ever heard him.

“Arlo. . .said I shouldn’t do it. ‘Said what I may remember could be too much for me.” 

He now turned to Eli. “What’dya think of that?”

Eli blinked, now looking away, trailing back into thought.

“Arlo. . .I think is speaking from his own experience there. He has so much he’d wanna forget of his childhood, so if he could I think he would.” Eli said, now placing a hand on the man's back in an attempt to comfort him.  
  
“But, you wanna know what I think? I think maybe you’ll learn a bit more about your family, and who knows! Maybe you got a mom and dad waiting for you to return! Siblings, pets! Childhood friends!” 

Milk didn’t move as Eli placed his hand on him, he only averted his gaze.

“But what if I don’t.”

“Trust me, that’s the main reason I even considered it. But what if I don’t got nobody?”

Milk sighed shakily. “That’s somethin’ that kept me goin’ for a while. The thought that hey, maybe I do got folks out there. Maybe someone cares and misses me. And maybe one day I’ll remember and be able to find them. But. . .”

“I always just considered it a distant possibility, I never thought it could actually happen.”

Eli shifted slightly.

“Well, if you don’t, you have us! Your friends! And you can keep making more friends! Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be able to make a family of your own!” Eli encouraged, rubbing light circles into Milks' back in an attempt to comfort him. Milk only slowly nodded.

“Yeah. . .Cherubi and I talked one day. About shit that I don’t really grasp. Like, not to be weird, but I didn’t know what sex was when I woke up and like, gained consciousness. Right after I woke up, like a week after, the gang nearby offered to let me stay if I let them hit it. I didn’t know what they were doin’, so I didn’t really care. I still don’t really care, and Cherubi kept saying it was probably traumatic and that she was sorry. But. . .”  
  
Milk shrugged lightly. “I can’t figure out why it would be. Maybe if I got some memories back, I could be sensible. Maybe I could understand why I’m okay with so many things people consider immoral or inhuman. Maybe, I could actually live like a human.”

“I just. . .don’t wanna live like a monster anymore. Why can’t I be humane?. . .”

Milk wasn’t sure when he started crying, but as Eli’s expression changed, he realized tears were streaming down his pale face. 

“Milk, I’m sorry. . .”

“Don’t be. Ya’ didn’t do anything wrong.” He awkwardly chuckled, attempting to wipe the tears away.

“But who knows. I really don’t. The surgery may not work at all anyways, so I guess I don’t have too much to lose.”

Eli tried to smile gently, removing his hand from the taller man's back. “It would be tomorrow, right?”

Milk nodded. “Mhm. I’d be there for three days, they said. The last day to recover though, so it’s not a surgery day.”

Eli beamed. “I’ll come to visit you! And I’m sure the others will too!”

Milk turned back to the man sitting next to him, and for the first time, Eli saw him genuinely smile. Not a toothy grin, or a sly smirk. Just a gentle, soft smile.

“I’d like that. . .”  
  
Milk was taken aback as Eli hugged him, nuzzling his head into the taller man's shoulder. Milk stilled, unsure what to do.

He simply wrapped his lanky arms around the blue-haired boy, dropping his head to rest on top of his and letting out a slight hum.

It was the most comforting hug he’d ever received.

But it couldn’t be.

He tried to remind himself of that as thoughts raced through his head.

_’He’s just tryna’ comfort you, don’t make it weird. . .’_

He forced himself to not think of pulling Eli in for a kiss after, forced himself not to think of how nice he smelled. He forced himself to no think of how warm he felt receiving the hug, opposed to his normal shivery self. 

Eli pulled away, smiling gently. “Of course! That’s what friends are for!”

Milks smile dropped as the sting of the word “friend” sunk in.


	26. New Years Kisses Drabbles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this on New Years during a breakdown but I'm oddly proud of it.
> 
> Future AU!

“Thanks again for coming to the party.”

Cherubi’s gaze went from her breath clouding in the cold air to the shorter girl beside her, fiddling with her scarf.

“Oh! It’s no problem, your family was lovely.” Cherubi gently said, smiling slightly. 

Meeting Veebees’ family had been something Cherubi had been both hesitant and looking forward to, but she enjoyed every second.

The thought of Veebee hesitating while introducing her entered her mind. It had been ever since it happened.

_’This is my, uh. . .friend! Cherubi! The one I’ve been telling you all about’_

It echoed through her head, refusing to fade away. The night had mainly gone off without a hitch, Veebee’s parents were the definition of textbook middle class well put together parents. Her cousins were there as well, some grown, but mostly younger kids.  
  
The thought of her mother pulling in Cherubi for a hug and giving her a gentle “welcome to the family” caused Cherubi to gulp and yank herself from her thoughts.

“I’m glad you like them! I’m sorry about my younger cousins, though.”

Cherubi gently shook her head, gaze looking down the street as a car which wasn’t their Uber rolled away.

  
“They were plenty nice, just a tad hyperactive. But they’re still cute kids.” 

Veebee fiddled with her scarf a tad more awkwardly. “Still, I’m sorry Joey got his juice on your jacket.” 

Cherubi shook her head lightly, attempting to reassure the white-haired girl. “Oh, it’s alright! Trust me, there’s not a thing I couldn’t launder.”

Cherubi blanked as Veebee pulled on her jacket, very slightly pulling her forward as she inspected her stained garment. Realizing how close she pulled the taller girl, her face flushed as she quickly released her hold.

“Ah, I’m sorry, uh, I should’ve asked first. . .”

Cherubi’s face stayed blank at their closeness. Before she knew it, her arms cradled around Veebee, pulling her in for a hug and nuzzling her face into the top of the short girl's head. 

Cherubi’s gentle smile grew as she heard Veebee sigh happily, wrapping her arms around her in return. 

“No need to apologize. . .I’m looking forward to going into this year with you. If you’d like that, of course. . .”

Cherubi released her slightly but still held her by the waist as Veebee kept her arms laced over her shoulders. Their eyes met, and Veebee nodded gently. 

“I’d love that.”

They didn’t release their hold on each other. They simply held each other as the snow began to gently fall.

The silent but longing eye contact was far from awkward. 

And the two decided that it only felt right to lean down or stand on their tippy-toes to connect in a gentle kiss.

\- - - - -

“One minute left. You better hurry.”

Milk's loud footsteps thumping throughout the kitchen in a frenzy caused Prince to set his teacup down, eyes trained on their television as it played the Ball drop.

“Hold on, hold on! I’m comin’!”

He dashed into the room, plopping down on the couch next to the purple-haired man, alcohol bottle he’d been struggling to open in hand.

“Glass?”

Prince smiled lightly, lifting his teacup. “Ah, I’m out of tea but unfortunately not holding the right china for that beverage.”

Milk quickly pouring the sparkling wine into Prince’s teacup made the shorter boy laugh slightly. He’d figured Milk would serve him it anyways.

“I’m drinkin’ out of a dinosaur plastic cup, I think it’s okay for you to have it in that.”

Prince shrugged slightly as he turned his attention back to the TV. Only 30 seconds left. . .  
  
“So! New year, huh? Any plans for it, Princey. . .”

Milk trailed off as Prince set his hand on top of his, lacing it with the pale boys gently as he kept his gaze on the screen.

Milk’s light giddy smile remained on his face, but he felt a tad sad as he turned his head back to the TV. 

“7. . .”

“6. . .”

“5. . .”

He held in a snort as he realized Prince was counting down quietly, seemingly fixated on the ball dropping.

“4 . .”

Milk joined in, and their voices clashed together as they counted.

“3. . .”

“2. . .”

“1. . .”  
  
Milk looked back to Prince quickly at the last second, smiling a lighthearted toothy grin.

“Happy new year, Prince.”

Prince didn’t say anything as the countdown concluded, but he did turn his attention from the TV to the horned man beside him.

“. . .Happy new year, Stuart.”

Message #au-brainrot


	27. Milk Pissing On Eli Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it sounds like. 
> 
> NSFW warning, lovelies.

"How you holdin' up, dolly?"

Milk strode down the stairs and into the musty basement of his hideout, his boot heels clicking on the cement floor as he walked up to the bound man.

He flicked the light on as he stepped off the last stair, and Eli rapidly blinked in an attempt to adjust to the light. 

Milk sighed, in a dreamy state as he took in the sight. It was nothing new. Eli on his knees, arms chained behind his back and chains binding his legs. His ankles had already been hobbled, now ineffective for walking. 

He shifted away from Milk slightly as the pale boy got closer, frowning at his behind a muzzle. His swollen eye still attempted to glare at him, his bruised body attempting to wriggle away. 

"Ah, not in a conversation mood? That sucks."

Milk slung his long jacket off his shoulders and over a table across the room, yawning as he did so. He started to unlace his boots, looking over to the boy. "C'mon, talk to me a lil' bit. I don't wanna have to make you work your pipes in other ways. . ."

He now crouched slightly in front of Eli, cocking an eyebrow as Eli inched slightly back. He gently petted his hair, chuckling as Eli shook much as a timid bunny would. "Your hair's startin' to get greasy, baby. But you're not filthy enough yet to waste shower water on." Milk frowned slightly, combing his long fingers through the boys' dark hair.

Eli stayed silent, and Milk huffed. "C'mon Eli, talk to me. You don't need to act happy or whatever, just talk to me. You can even yell at me if ya' want to."

Still, silence. Milk perked up.

"Oh, is it because I didn't get you breakfast earlier? I'm sorry babydoll, I had to leave early and didn't wanna wake ya'. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

Eli now looked down to the floor. "Please, I don't want to talk to you right now. . ."  
  
Milk cringed slightly at how raspy he sounded as he spoke. "Here baby, let's get'cha some water, hm?" Milk now stood to full height, walking back to the other side of the room and yanking a water bottle from a backpack haphazardly lying on the floor.

"Here," He lifted Eli's face, undoing his muzzle by the leather straps. Once he unhooked it, he gently set it to the floor. "Open up for me, K'?"

Eli only shook his head, clenching his eyes shut as he did so. Milk sighed. "I'm not lettin' ya' starve and dehydrate yourself to try to get outta' this, baby. C'mon, I don't wanna' hurt ya'. . ."

Milk gripped Eli's face, squeezing his cheeks together with one of his large hands as the other brought the bottle to his face. Eli only snarled. biting the plastic bottle by it's opening and crunching it slightly, water flowing all over Eli's nearly naked body but barely any going in his mouth. Milk's face went blank, expression unreadable as Eli spat the bottle away and bared his teeth at Milk.

"Well, the muzzle's going back on, first of all."

  
Milk grabbed it back off the floor, Eli being helpless to him strapping it back around his head. Milk smiled slightly seeing Eli have it back on.

"If ya' wanna act like a rabid puppy, ya' get treated like one. C'mon, I wanna give ya' the bunny treatment, but you gotta' play nice, dolly."

Milk tilted his head, looking at the writhing boy.  
  
"C'mon, ya' gotta drink somethin', baby."

Then, the awful, terrible lightbulb went off in his head.

"Y'know, I think I got a solution to all four of our lil' problems. . ."

Eli's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach as Milk yanked his shirt over his head and began to fiddle with his belt.

"Milk, please not this. . ."

Milk cocked an eyebrow before chuckling. "Oh, no, I'm not gonna force ya' to give me a blowey, baby."

He leaned back, cracking his back before yanking down his pants. "Y'see, we need to mess ya' up a bit more before it feels right to bathe ya', right? And you need to drink a lil' bit, so. . ."

He pulled down his boxers as well, kicking them off. Eli began to whimper slightly as Milk, now naked, stepped closer. 

_"Now, I've had to piss like a racehorse ever since I walked my happy lil' ass down here to visit ya'. . ."_

Eli began to shake violently at the implication, trying to look anywhere but the naked man before him, and Milk began to gently stroke himself.  
  
"Milk, no, I'll take the water, please don't do this-"

Milk's glee filled sigh cut him off. "-Ah, there's the last problem solved! You finally opening up and speakin' to me!~"

Eli couldn't look up to face him, but the smirk practically dripped from his voice as he brought his hand to Eli's chin once more, securing him in place.

He used the other hand to force two fingers into Eli's mouth through the muzzle grates, forcing it wider open. Eli's attempts to bite down only caused Milk to groan in delightful pain, and pant slightly.

"C'mon babydoll, take it all for me. . ."

Eli forced his eyes shut, starting to sob slightly as Milk began to piss on his face and in his mouth.


	28. Prince NSFW Dream Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a degenerate. NSFW warning, again.

Prince had no idea how he got here.

Laying facedown and being plowed by a main antagonistic force in your life wasn't a typical shortcoming for him. But as Eli gripped his hip as he thrust deeper, Prince wasn't complaining.

"What are you trying to prove by trying so hard, hm? All you're doing is proving how much of a desperate horny dog you are for me." Prince panted out, trying to gain higher dominant ground, not liking how submissive the taller boy was currently making him.

Prince's breath hitched as Eli slowed, before feeling his hand go from his hip to his head, shoving it against the bed as Prince attempted to look back at him. 

"Y'know,"

Eli thrust the deepest he had yet, slowly.

"-You saying that only proves how much of a little bitch you are for this. If you really wanted to prove it, you'd try to physically control me, right? You're just an insecure,"

He pulled out slowly before slamming back in, causing Prince to breathily moan.

_"-Submissive,"_

Again, pulling out, thrusting in.

_"-Whiny,"_

Thrust.

_"-Wheezy,"_

Thrust.

_"-Whore-ish,"_

Thrust.

_"-Little. Bitch."_

He spat every word, and Prince shuddered at the newly dominantly worded Eli. He was reduced to pants, clutching the sheets under him as Eli chuckled at his lack of a retort.

"No response? That's what I thought."

Prince gritted his teeth, hating how much he was enjoying the degradation. Eli moved his hand once more, from his head to push him down by the small of his back.

"Admit it. You like being used like this, don't you?"

Prince weakly nodded to try to convince Eli to keep up his pace. Eli stalled. 

"I'm sorry, for such a loud dog you sure have a quiet bark right now. Mind speaking up for me?"

Prince felt shame wash over him as he swallowed his pride.

"I do. . ."

He slammed his eyes shut, burying his face into the sheet.

  
"Please, I do, please don't stop, Eli. . ."

Eli simply chuckled lightly once more.

"Good boy. . ."

The smudge of praise caused Prince to throb, especially as Eli began to pound into him once more. His free hand trailed to Prince's cock, lightly stroking the tip as a reward.

"Seeing you unravel like the filthy beggar you really are is truly a sight. . ."

He began to give him longer strokes as his pace refused to slow, and at this point, Prince decided he was done trying to take the high ground. He let himself go, letting Eli make him his submissive whore as he let his moans out freely.

"There's the loud Prince I know. I wonder how you'd look taking another in your pretty little mouth. . ."

Eli's breath hitched as he felt Prince's throbbing around his intensify, the cock in his hand only leaking more pre-cum as he spoke.

". . .Though I suppose this is the only time I'd rather you didn't shut up."

"But you'd probably like that, wouldn't you? Being the cockslut on both ends? C'mon, I'm sure Milk would be glad to help. . .or maybe even Arlo. . ."

Prince cried out loudly, bringing his head up from the bed and gasping for air. He knew he couldn't last much longer as he pictured what Eli described, thrusting slightly into Eli's hand and only feeling Eli bottom out further into him.  
  
"Prince-"

Prince sighed at how Eli moaned out his name, feeling the man's cock in his throb as well, more and more.

"Prince? Prince-"

_**"-Prince, what the fuck is the matter with you?"** _

With that, Prince forced his eyes open, realizing he was simply in bed in his dorm. Arlo was standing over him, and looking more confused than ever as he squinted down at him in the dim room.

It had only been a dream, and as Prince realized this, he shot up and sat up.

“What, what happened-“

Arlo backed away a step. “Why the fuck are you screaming? It’s 1 in the fucking morning, we’re gonna get noise complaints-“

Prince felt shame leak into his system as he realized his state. He was in tears, his body was flushed hot, and he had a hard-on, thankfully hidden from Arlo under his sheets, which leaked with sweat.

“. . .Bad dream.”

He lay back down, turning and refusing to look at Arlo further.

“Just a bad dream. I apologize for waking you.”

Arlo only stared at him before shrugging.

“Whatever, just try to shut up."


	29. Yandere Prince x Arlo Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning for Yandere behavior, not explicit sexually though

“Pet, may I hear your input on something?”

Prince kept his gaze trained on his desk, nudging the kneeling boy on the floor next to him with his foot. Arlo kept the glare on his face, looking from the floor up to the seated man.

“What?” He croaked, shifting slightly in his restraints as he did. Purple leather straps bound his arms and legs, a gold plated chain on his collar secured to the desks’ leg. 

Prince flipped through a book, gently running his fingers up its spine. “Before you inquire, my daily work is finished and I have every right to indulge during business hours. Now,”

He now looked to the man on the floor, shifting in his oversized chair made to look like a throne as he did. He turned the book, and Arlo squinted, reading the front of the thick book.

“It’s a fairy tale collection. Tell me, do you have a favorite?” Prince inquired, resting the book in his lap. Arlo cocked an eyebrow, fighting his stubborn nature and simply answering the question. He didn’t wish to be spanked for misplaced silence again.

“. . .Hansel and Gretel.”  
  
Prince hummed in approval, placing the thick book back upon his desk. “As far as cautionary tales go, it’s admittedly basic. Though I suppose it’s not a terrible story.”

Prince leaned back in his chair, looking to the book.

“You see, human sciences aren’t normally my cup of tea, anthropology being no exception. However, recently I’ve been fascinated with fairy tales. . .” He trailed off, and Arlo had to resist rolling his eyes.

“The study of stories told through different cultures and generations, changing slightly to fit the standards of whatever society it’s being told through. It’s one of the most universal ways humans connect, don’t you agree?” He sighed, gently smiling as he did so. 

“Trust me, I still despise humanity. But I suppose, perhaps I should study this as a route to why. Many children grow up being told these narratives, even I did. Maybe a reason we all became so despicable lays within these fables. . .”

He chuckled slightly before standing, kneeling next to Arlo and pulling a key from his pocket. He unlocked the part on the desk legs, taking the chain into his hand and standing with it. He beckoned his hand upwards, and Arlo kept his glare as he stood. 

He then sat back on the throne, Arlo taking a step towards it. He sighed as Prince patted his thigh once, and knew what we wanted.

He sat on his lap, Prince pulling the chain so the white-haired boy's head would come to rest against his chest. 

“Good dog. You’re awfully obedient today, aren’t you?” Prince trailed off, and Arlo flinched as he brought a hand to his hair and began to pet.

“. . . I’m dearly hoping you aren’t attempting to get me to lower my guard so you can attempt an escape. . .” He said somberly, and Arlo gently shook his head no, unsure if he should verbally respond.

“. . .Of course you wouldn’t, you know you’re the only person left in the world for me. Forgive me for being so suspicious of you, pet.” He said gently, and Arlo stood still.

  
He needed to plan a getaway regardless. And quickly.  
  


\- - - - -

  
Arlo had never wanted to be dead more.

He slowly opened his eyes, aching pain shooting through his body as he attempted to shift. He was lying on a couch and quickly came to his senses where he was. Princes’ study.

He could only weakly look up to the ceiling as his senses came back to him. Then he could hear it.

Music weakly playing from a vinyl table, two girls singing an eerie chant as soft piano accompanied the tune. 

It was dark in the room; Arlo figured only the fireplace was lighting the space, but he was too weak at the moment to turn and look.

He then realized; he wasn’t bound. He was laying down unrestrained, in an oversized dress shirt that wasn’t his and no pants but his underwear. 

If only he had the strength to get up and get away. . .

He cringed slightly, hearing the click of boot heels approaching him.

“You’re safe, please don’t fret. You should know where you are.”

Prince's voice cutting through the space did little to settle his nerves. He then heard him walking to the other side of the room, lifting the vinyl needle and halting the song.  
  
“Tonight you belong to me”, by Patience and Prudence. It was one of my mother’s favorites. . .believe it or not, this record was once hers. I inherited it.”

He heard Prince sigh, and walk once more. Arlo could gather the strength to slightly look up as he felt the opposite end of the couch dip slightly from Prince sitting.

“But that’s beside the point.”

“Are you able to speak yet?” 

Arlo felt annoyance leak into his system as he attempted to open his mouth the retort. Nothing but a weak garble of words came out, and Prince chuckled slightly.

“Of course not. Do you remember what happened?”

Arlo sat up slightly now, able to look at his captor's expressionless face. He did remember faintly. The door jammer falling out of place, the door not being locked.

Him making his escape in the dead of night, being sure to bolt through the halls as thunder from the storm raging outside loudly struck.

Escaping from the dark first story kitchen window, scraping up all his limbs on the thorny bushes landscaping directly below.

Throwing all caution to the wind as he ran as fast as he could to the gate surrounding, no doubt knowing he could scale it. Thinking of how glad Eli would be to see him when he finally got home. . .

Then, a flash of light and electricity wracking his body. He felt numb as he lay in the wet grass, unable to move as he heard multiple sets of feet approaching as he faded from consciousness.

“They said you looked like you had run into a telephone wire. You still look out of sorts. . .” Prince raised a hand to put a strand of Arlo’s shocked and unruly hair back into place, and Arlo attempted to weakly shift away, shaking his head “no”.

Prince sighed, pulling a small remote from his pocket. And Arlo could only weakly squeak as a quick jolt of electricity coursed through him.

“Not nearly enough to rival the shock you received earlier, but it stuns well enough.”  
  
Prince touched Arlo’s hair once again, quickly flinching from the static charge it still held before patting the lock back into place.

“Before you ask, no, I didn’t shock you at the gate. The gate also acts as somewhat of an electric fence for your collar. All maids and butlers of the estate wear one, though yours has a direct controller as well.”

He looked down at the controller, then back to the slightly shaken Arlo quivering on the couch. 

“You knew I left the door unlocked and without a barricade. And you knew it was no accident I did so, correct?”

“It was a loyalty test. I wanted to see if you would take the chance to escape, knowing you’re all I have left. The only person left in my life. And yet. . .”

Prince weakly sighed.

“You took the chance. You decided you’d rather be hurt trying to get out than staying complicit with me. And you knew I understood this. You knew. . .”

“That’s admirable but hurtful, I must admit.”

He tucked the controller back into his pocket, sitting back against the couch. 

Arlo cocked an eyebrow as Prince closed his eyes, seemingly considering his next move. 

“You truly are like a puppy, you know that?”

He stood from the couch, now walking towards Arlo and gently grabbing the front of his collar.

“Unruly, always running towards what they think they want, rather than the master they don’t know they need. It’s time to break you from your puppy phase, wouldn’t you say?”  
  
Arlo yelped slightly as the man yanked him upwards by the collar, tossing him to the ground. He groaned as his aching body hit the wooden floor.

“On all fours before me. Now.”

Prince commanded, glaring down at the man. 

Arlo gritted his teeth, conjuring the strength to sit up from the floor.

“I-“

Prince snarled, and Arlo fell to the floor once more as the tip of Princes’ boot connected with his side.

“Did I ask you to bark, dog?”

Arlo glared from where he lay on the floor, refusing to give up this fight.

“You physically hurting me is only gonna give me drive to wanna escape more. . .” He coughed as he spoke, and Prince cocked an eyebrow.

“The happiest dogs, are with families. Their families. I’m going back to him, to my family. He is,”

He cut himself off with a weak whimper as the aching in his body set in further.

“He is my family, my companion, not master. Eli. I’m, gonna get back-“

He was cut off by another shock rattling his body, and as it stopped, he fell back to the floor, laying on his back.

Prince crouched down next to him. “You’re no longer a loyal dog. You’re a not yet broken in puppy. My not yet broken in puppy.”

“I can’t reward you for reprehensible behavior, but you’re clearly not in a state for properly disciplining yet.”

Arlo flinched as he felt Prince scoop him up into his arms, setting him back to the couch.

“Rest.”

Arlo frowned, resentful of the fact his weak body ate up the chance to heal. He began to doze off, Prince sitting on the couch next to him as he did.

He felt himself fully drift into sleep, smiling lightly at Princes’ gentle sobs as he did so. 

_’So me trying to escape did hurt his feelings. . .’_

_’Fantastic. And I’d do it again.’_


	30. BlueRose and SpoiledRotten Orgy (Kinda Not Really)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am s t u p i d l y proud of this shit, this one took me 5 hours on end to create and I love it a lot-
> 
> Heavy NSFW warning on this chapter

"If you'd like, I can help you with that."

Eli shot up slightly at his boyfriend's hushed voice, jolting partially as his hand came to rest on his erection. Eli frowned. "I'm sorry I woke you, angel. It's okay, just a wet dream."

Arlo cocked an eyebrow, his hand trailing higher to Eli's waistband. "My offer still stands."

Eli shifted, sitting up as Arlo scooted lower, getting on his knees before him. "What was the dream about, hmm?"

Eli gave in, lightly lifting his hips to allow Arlo to pull his sweats down. He lightly kicked them off his ankles, discarded to the edge of the bed.

"What about them?" Eli said in a whisper, looking across the dark hotel room. Prince snored slightly, curled into a tiny ball on his bed alone, and Milk was splayed out on the foot of the bed, having had retreated from the floor to the bed once he was sure Prince was asleep.

"What about them? Answer my question, baby. . ."

Eli let out a low moan as Arlo gently kissed his boyfriends' thigh.

"I. . ."

Eli swallowed as Arlo gave the tip of his cock a quick kitty lick.

"I was, thinking of you, riding me. . ."

Having to sharply breathe between words, Eli laced one of his hands through his boyfriend's fluffy hair, trying to remain quiet as the boy sunk his mouth deeper upon his dick. He could feel him slightly smile, swirling his tongue quickly as he pulled off.

"Would you like me to?"

Eli shuddered as Arlo took his balls in his hand.

"I. . .I don't know about here. . ."

He averted his gaze back to the other sleeping boys in the room, and Arlo brought his free hand to his boyfriend's chin, tilting his head to look back at him.  
  
"Don't look at them, look at me. Are you worried about them waking up?"

Eli slowly nodded, and Arlo scowled slightly as he took Eli's cock into his mouth once again, giving a quick suck before pulling off with a small 'pop'.

"Let them. They're always staring at you, like fucking horny guard dogs. . ." Arlo trailed off, his hand on Eli's chin trailing back to his waist and sneaking under his shirt.

Eli brought a hand to his mouth as he attempted to keep himself quiet, moaning lowly as Arlo continued to suck on his dick.

"Arlo. . .please try to be a little quieter. . ."

As he whispered this, Arlo took him as deep as his mouth allowed, choking sounds coming from him as he gripped tightly to Eli's thighs. Eli let out a strangled moan, and he immediately hated how it seemingly echoed around the hotel room.

Arlo pulled off slowly, breathing heavily and sputtering slightly. 

_"Hng. . ."_

Both boys froze as Milk shifted on his bed, Eli looking down at his boyfriend with panicked eyes. Arlo gave him the most innocent smile he could, licking Eli's cock from the head to the base, keeping eye contact the entire time as Eli tried his hardest to contain his sounds as to not wake the pale boy.

Eli tapped on Arlo's shoulder lightly, and Arlo scooted up quietly, leaning over Eli and giving him a kiss.

The taste of himself on Arlo's lips was nothing short of intoxicating, and he found himself smiling gently into the kiss as Arlo deepened it, the hand not on the bed supporting himself up trailing to gently cup the bluenettes face.

"Damn, a cum kiss? That's awfully dirty."  
  
Eli's eyes shot open in panic as Arlo calmly turned to face the pale man, laying on his side and facing them with a lopsided grin. Arlo didn't move, keeping Eli's body caged in under him as he shot a glare.

"You have no room to talk about what's dirty or not." He spat, and Eli attempted to sit up as much as he could.

"Milk, I'm sorry, how much did you have to hear-"

"-All of it! I was awake before you two started, you moaning in your sleep woke me. I saw most of it too." Milk winked, and Eli gulped nervously. "I'm sorry. . ."

Arlo's hand finding its way back down to Eli's dick caused him to squeak, looking back to Arlo in confusion. "Shut the fuck up and mind your own business or go back to bed, Milk."

Milk playfully pouted. "I bet I can give it better than you~" 

Arlo cocked an eyebrow, and Eli felt his grip on his cock get slightly tighter as he held him closer. "This is between me and him, you aren't touching shit."

Milk giggled slightly. "Oh, don't worry loverboy! I ain't gonna touch Eli."

He scooted farther up on the bed, and Eli watched in confusion as he pushed Prince out of his curled up position and onto his back.

"You two can keep goin', didn't you have a dream you wanted Arlo to act on or somethin'?" Milk jeered, and Eli wondered how Prince didn't wake up as Milk began to pull down his pajama pants.

"Wait! Shouldn't you ask him if it's okay first-"

"Hey, look at me."

Eli turned his head back to Arlo, who sat up. "Keep your attention on me, okay? Is it alright if I do this?"

  
Eli thought for a split second, slightly worried about Prince. 

"Just so ya' know, I've done this to him before. He won't take long to wake up." Milk spoke up, leaning on his side beside the man and removing his boxers as well. Eli modestly turned away from the sight of the nearly nude man and sighed.

"It's okay Arlo. I trust you."

Arlo gave him a gentle smile, leaning back down and giving him the gentlest kiss he had yet that night. "I promise I won't disappoint you, baby."

Eli had to gently smile at this. "You never do."

Milk didn't know why it hurt him so much to witness. He would have burnt down a child to hear Eli say those words to him; things he'd only heard in his dreams. Hearing them said to someone else in reality stung, especially when Eli turned, feeling Milk's eyes on him. Milk quickly averted his gaze.

_'Just work him up enough to get Eli more bothered too. . .'_

Milk had gone to bed shirtless, so quickly plopped onto his back to kick off his sweats before leaning back onto his side. He brought his hands to Prince's thighs, squeezing slightly. He always thought they were the perfect type.

He looked up, giving a chuckle at his peaceful expression. He brought his hand to his face gently, swiping as much drool as he could off his chin and rubbing it on his dick, not yet erect. Oh well. This part barely ever took long.

Milk gave a smirk, continuing to toy with the cock in his hand as he leaned in, his ridiculously long tongue slithering around the base. One of the many perks of being an anatomical freak.

Eli and Arlo adjusted on their own bed as he did this, Arlo slowly stripping down in-between kisses. Eli now sat, no longer laying down on his back, the now nude Arlo sitting in his lap facing him, continuing to stroke his cock.

"Are you-" 

Eli strangled out, thrusting into his boyfriend's hand. "Are you going to need help adjusting first?"  
  
Arlo simply shook his head, now leaning against Eli's chest, biting Eli's collarbones gently, occasionally biting just deep enough to leave a claim mark as Eli whimpered out.

Milk hummed at the noises coming from across the room, and he knew his cock was now erect and pressing against Prince's leg. The man's dick was fairly erect as well, and Milk decided to quit his teasing, retracting his tongue and sitting up a tad more.

He took a deep breath, taking the tip into his mouth as he now used both of his hands to stroke the base. He bobbed his head, going a tad deeper each time until he didn't have the room left to use his hands, bringing one to the man's stomach and the other to his thigh.

Eli turned his head slightly hearing Milk begin to choke, and felt his cock twitch at the sight. He quickly looked away, placing a shaky hand on Arlo's shoulder as he finished marking up his neck and chest.

The smaller boy panted, smiling lightly at the dark hickeys that were beginning to form on Eli's freckled skin. "Cute. . ."

He trailed off, scooting off of Eli's lap and spitting in his hand. He now quickly coated Eli's cock with it, stroking from the base to tip once more.  
  
"You ready?" Arlo huffed out, lifting his hips and bringing his hands to Eli's shoulders to brace himself. "Yeah, but take your time, angel."

Arlo gave a gentle smile, leaning on for another gentle kiss as he ground on Eli's cock slightly before sinking down on it. His breath hitched, grip on Eli's shoulders becoming tighter as he halted, having engulfed his dick slightly past the tip. 

"You're still so, so sensitive, aren't you baby?" Eli said gently, rubbing small circles in Arlo's back. "Take your time, it's okay. I don't wanna hurt you. . ."

Arlo now slowly and fully sunk down, sitting on Eli's lap and adjusting to the cock. No matter how many times they did this, there was always some pain in Arlo when he took it, and Eli constantly worried that he took it way too fast in order to please him.

"I'm good, I'm good-" Arlo panted out, and Eli watched as he cringed, slightly lifting his hips. Eli simply took him by the shoulders, slowly sinking him back down slowly.

"No. Adjust, okay?" Eli cooed gently, hugging Arlo tight, and the man sighed and rested his head against his shoulder, tucking his face into his chest.

"Milk?. . ."

Eli turned his head, Prince barely waking up, still out of it. He hadn't seemed to have taken in his surroundings yet, surely nearly blind without his glasses and still sleep ridden.

"It's me, dolly."  
  
Eli turned back to Arlo, lifting his head by his chin and kissing him deeply once again, starting to make out.

Strangled moans leaked from the slowly waking man, and Milk grinned as Prince began to grip the sheets underneath him tightly.

"Don't. . ."

"Don't stop. . ."

Arlo began to grind slightly, breaking away from the kiss and nodding, looking into Eli's mismatched eyes. Eli gave him a gentle smile, and Arlo began to lift his hips and quickly bounce upon his cock. 

Prince loudly moaned and squeaked across the room, Eli wondering how out of it he had to be to completely forget about the fact that they were currently sharing a room. Did Milk make him feel that good?. . .  
  
_"Good-hng, good boy, keep going. . ."_

Milk took his cock as deep as he possibly could into his mouth, bobbing and giving extra tongue attention to the tip. Prince only moaned whorishly, craning his head back and staring at the ceiling as he grabbed Milk by his horns.

Milk pulled off of his dick with a wide, crazed grin, licking as much pre-cum off his lips as he could.

"That's all I needed babe, thank you~"

Milk sang out, and Prince, nearly fully awake, growled as he sat up, yanking Milk up by his horn.

"Oh, you little fucking tease-"  
  
Milk was taken aback as Prince now pushed him back, his spare hand holding him down by his neck. Milk was about to speak, only for Prince to kiss him deeply, shutting him up. He ground on him as he did so, and Milk only felt himself get harder from the slight strangulation. 

Prince pulled away from the sloppy kiss, teeth bared and beyond sexually frustrated. 

"Why do you always gotta be such a little shit, hmm? Working me up like this so I'll pound you like the trashy little bitch you are-"

"Uh." Milk said awkwardly, about to drop the bombshell.

"We have company?"

If Prince wasn't fully awake yet, he surely was now. 

He slowly turned his head, still on top of Milk and choking him down.

"Sup." 

Arlo said, meeting eyes with Prince as he continued to hop on his boyfriend's cock. Eli was stunned in silence, lowly moaning as Arlo continued to take him deeper.

Prince blinked before practically hopping off of Milk in panic. 

"Why the fuck were you doing that with them here?"

He furrowed his eyebrows in anger, and Milk simply shrugged. "Needed to prove I can give it well. I'd say you agree that I can. . ."

Milk trailed off with a small smile, and Prince shifted awkwardly as the pale man brought his hand to his cock. He sat, wishing he could sink into the mattress. He hated how horny he was at that moment, and sighed, thrusting slightly into Milk's hand.

"Now, you said something about pounding me? Does that offer still stand?"

Arlo scoffed from across the room at the two's interaction, and Prince zeroed in on Eli's panting, an occasional moan or praise spilling from his pretty lips.  
  
Prince couldn't tear his gaze from where their bodies met, feeling his cock swell at the sight. 

He'd never wanted to be Arlo more.

"Take me."

Prince ordered, and Milk gave him a confused look. "Oh? But you've only let me do it once before~"

"Didn't you chicken out last time crying that it hurt too much?" Milk jeered, now taking Prince into his lap as the purple-haired man gave him an embarrassed glare.

"Shut the fuck up. You're lucky I'm letting you get off in any way you can."

Milk followed Prince's gaze to the couple passionately grinding on each other, resuming their make-out session with their arms wrapped around each other's bodies.

"Oh. . ."

Milk pieced it together, containing a disappointed sigh as a ping of pain shot through his heart.

Milk brought his hand to Prince's mouth, and Prince refused to keep eye contact as he began to suck on the fingers in his mouth.

"So wet and warm. . ." Milk trailed off, longingly looking at his spit-soaked fingers as he withdrew them. The pale man gently pushed Prince onto his front, and he braced himself, tucking his head against the bed under him, not sure where to look.

"Tell me if this gets to be too much, K?"

Before Prince could respond, Milk slowly inserted his long middle finger, wiggling it slightly. He cringed slightly, raising his ass higher as he clutched the bed beneath him.  
  
 _'Just pretend it's Eli. . .'_

Prince thought, whimpering slightly as Milk began to caress his puckered hole with his ring finger. At least he was being gentle.

"Don't tease me. . ."

Prince huffed out, and he heard Milk shift behind him. "Oh? You ready?"  
  
Prince nodded, and Milk simply chuckled. "Shame. I don't think you are. . ."

Prince moaned out as Milk slipped in his second finger, scissoring the gummy flesh a tad more aggressively. "Beg for it, why don't you?"

He gritted his teeth, far too horny to keep up his pride.

He quickly turned his head, making eye contact with the panting Eli on the bed over. 

"I want you to fuck me like the whiny, bitchy little whore I am. . ." 

Prince felt gross saying it, refusing to break eye contact with Eli.

". . .Even if it hurts, don't stop. I want you to taint me with your filthy cum. . ."

  
Eli gulped and forced himself to break eye contact. Prince felt a sweep of pride as Eli let out a low groan immediately after.

He lifted his head, now meeting eyes with Milk in the mirror on the wall in front of him. He felt a tad of guilt shoot through him, realizing Milk understood that Prince wasn't directing his words towards him. Regardless, he retracted his fingers slowly, causing him to drop his face back into the bed.

Milk blinked back his feelings of jealousy, chuckling slightly from his feelings of inadequacy. 

_"Bet."_


	31. Ahegaho Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone stop him

“Eli.”

Eli turned his head slowly to the man sitting across his boyfriend's dorm as Eli awaited his return, setting his phone in his lap gently.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

Prince removed his glasses, squinting for a slight second at the blue-haired boy.

“Watch this.”

Eli cocked an eyebrow at the man began to unbutton the top few buttons of his dress shirt, sighing exasperatedly as he did so. He ran a hand through his hair to mess it up slightly, and Eli realized he could see a tinge of an embarrassed blush on his face.

He tried to formulate a “what are you doing?”, but was baffled by what Prince did next.

He rolled his eyes quickly before gaping his mouth, sticking his tongue out uncomfortably while maintaining the most awkward eye contact with Eli.

After a couple of seconds, he quickly looked upwards so only the whites of his eyes could be seen before deciding he had enough of the embarrassing act.

“. . .Did you like it?”

Eli blinked awkwardly, nearly scooting back in fear as Prince wiped away the drool off his chin.

“Why would I like that?”

“. . .”

Prince blinked as he placed his glasses back upon his face.

“. . .Nevermind. Please, forget I did that. I can pay your silence if you wish.”

Eli shook his head slightly.

“Did you want me to like that?”

Prince turned his gaze away, no longer facing the taller man. 

“. . .Sunny advised me to do it.”

“And since when do you do anything Sunny tells you to do?”

He remained silent, and Eli forced himself to peel his gaze away.

_’That was. . .strange.’_


	32. Ili X Ging Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3

“I’m not gonna eat it.”

His eyes only widened slightly at her bold objection, though hers refused to meet his. Instead, she was looking down at the slop he had served her, picking at it with her spoon.

“Oh?” He could only respond, trying to think of the proper way to handle this. “You’re going to eat what I give you, princess. This isn’t up for debate.”

She set her fork down at pushed it farther from her place setting in retaliation. “You’re not my dad. You can’t tell me what to do.”

There was a moment's silence before a chuckle resonated from him, only making Illunga shudder slightly. But her mind was made up. She’d rather drink dog pee than eat whatever muck he had concocted.

“It’s not in your place to talk back, pet. Now. . .”

He got up from his place across the table, his dark eyes remaining on her now trembling form as he slowly walked to her side of it.

“I’m giving you one last chance to show some respect and do as I say.”  
  
Now standing at her side and looking down at her, his smirk faded into an expression of seriousness. “Eat. It.”

Ili gulped. Looking down from the man towering over her and to her bowl, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. A want of scent from the food made its way to her nose, and she had made up her mind. Shutting her eyes and shaking her head no, she scowled. Any punishment would be better than that garbage.

Ging only sighed, running a hand through his hair in a disappointed manner. “A shame, really. I didn’t want to have to do this, you know.”  
  
His hand slammed down on the table, causing the contents of the bowl to slosh around from the force. Ili jumped slightly, still sure she had made the right decision.

“But if you’re really gonna act like a brat, you leave me no choice. On your feet, pet.”

Maybe she had been frozen with fear. Or maybe her desire to be defiant of the man threatening her caused her to stay still as she now returned her gaze to him.

“Are you deaf, whore? I said-“

His hand laced into her hair, causing her to yelp in pain as he yanked her upwards.

“-Get. Up.”

Now sitting in her spot, he moved his hand from her hair to her shoulder, turning her to face him and pushing her downwards as to straddle his lap. 

Embarrassment crossed over her features and she began to shake slightly out of anticipation. His hand never left her shoulder, holding her down in place as he turned his gaze from her to the bowl behind her. Using his other hand to grab it, he brought it closer and grasped the spoon.

“Wait, no, I’m sorry, I’ll take any other punishment than this-“ she began to interject and thrash in his grasp, only for him to hold her down tighter.

“You brought this upon yourself, princess.”

A sadistic smile crossed his face as he brought the spoon up to her face, the slushy mess of food on its surface causing Ili to gag slightly.

“-I’d rather be spanked! please don’t do this sir, please-“

She was cut off by him quickly forcing the spoon into her agape mouth.


	33. Marnie and Irene Drabble (CH)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marnie is my Cuphead self-insert (the other published Dice fic uploaded is loosely based on her) and Irene belongs to my friend Sea!

"My, my, aren't you a frightened one?"

Neck being held from behind, an arm gripping her waist, Marnie was frozen in fear, shaking slightly as she attempted not to drop the drink tray she was still clutching. 

"I didn't even have to kiss you for you to be so still for me. Are you truly that afraid?" The offender now getting closer to her ear, she could practically hear the snark dripping from it.

  
She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. Looking over to the table she had been eyeing earlier, she noticed the girl that had been sitting there was missing. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off her as she slowly took drags from her cigar, horns glinting in the light of the smoky bar. It wasn't until the guy she was taking an order for had yelled to jolt her out of it did she stop her staring, though she didn't think the girl had noticed at the time.  
  
"C-Can I help you, ma'm?"

Silently cursing at herself for her nervous stutter, she attempted to turn her head slightly to get a better view of her. Meeting her red eyes, she gulped nervously, and her level of nervousness only increased by viewing the girls growing smirk.

"No need for the formalities, babe. Irene is fine." 

The hand on her neck suddenly become active once more, it trailed slowly up to her chin, gripping loosely but uncomfortably as Marnie felt tears spring to her eyes. She didn't know why she was so afraid. But she had seen how the girl had been sitting alone in the decently packed bar and inferred how everyone was either too respecting or fearful to approach.

She assumed that that fact played into her nerves as the hand that gripped her waist traveled higher. As the girl brought her hand to her tits, she became just how aware of how quiet the room seemed to be. Sure, there was still rowdy chatter and the typical bar sounds, but it felt empty. Like it was just white noise. 

"They picked well, putting you out here. Though I gotta admit. . ." Hand pinching a nipple through her vest, Marnie only squeaked before she felt Irene's knee jut up and lightly kick her ass.

"You're pretty built up top, but seriously lacking in the back."  
  
"Please, I need to get back to work, please leave me be-" Pleading with the girl as her tears threatened to fall, she was pulled back into remembering how heavy the drink tray seemed in her hands.

"Oh? I'm sure I could get you out of work for a little to help me a bit." Now gripping Marnie by the face and forcing her mouth shut by squeezing her cheeks, she felt something slip under her skirt, something with a sharp barb she instantly recognized as a devils' tail. "Tell me, are you a virgin?"

Not able to speak, Marnie simply shook her head no as the tail only trailed higher up her thigh, now stopping and starting to dig into her skin. The tears now fell as Irene cocked her eyebrow at her. "-And were you one before coming here?"

Now letting out a squeak as she felt blood dripping down her thigh from the stab of the tail, Irene released her mouth, but quickly returned her hand to her throat, gripping tightly. "I was, please, please let me go, please-"

She cut herself off as she felt the tail's barbed tip go soft and flat, now trailing up even higher. She bleped lightly, quickly cringing and closing her eyes at the noise. She hated her ears and horns as it was, but the noises that accompanied them didn't help her situation.

She heard Irene let out a small laugh, and it went straight to her core and made her shake slightly more. She had no idea why both the pain from her cut and the appendage now toying with her panties under her skirt were flustering her as much as it was, but her tears now fell as she felt fear and confusion take over.

"I had a hunch. So much for being a pure little cupid, hm? So, who did it? The big boss?" The hand holding her close now dropped from her tits and resumed its hold on her waist. "I know he has a thing for corruption and all, but that seems a tad much for him, does it not? But I suppose he wouldn't be so uncouthed."

  
Marnie suddenly felt as if eyes were watching her every move, and she simply screwed her eyes shut and leaned her head back into Irene's chest, nearly falling back into her. "So, what do you say? How about you come with me for a little bit, doll? You seem to be having a hell of a time."

"-Oh, and don't worry about him finding you slacking on the job, I doubt he'd have a problem with it. Hell, shall we invite him to watch?"

Immediately knowing who she was referencing, she felt herself sob lightly as she shook, feeling sick to her stomach at the thought. She would rather have died than ever be seen in that way by the Devil's right-hand man again, and she only cried harder as Irene took notice of her fear and laughed darkly. 

"Your crying isn't the only wet thing about you right now, but I suppose I'll let you go for now. I'd hate to make the patrons here wait any longer, after all." Feeling her tail retreat from its caressing of her clit, it slithered back down her thigh and retreated as Irene released her throat and side. And before she knew it, both hands were on her back, shoving from behind her and sending her flying to the floor.

She felt the shattered glass of a shot glass on the tray she'd been holding dig into her hand as Irene brought a foot to her ass, which she just then realized was in the air. Pushing lightly and forcing her face into the casino floor, she realized that her skirt had flipped. Her underwear could have been seen by anyone passing.

  
"I'll be back when your shift is over. Be ready for that." Hearing her sly smirk practically dripping from her voice like venom, she released her foot from the embarrassed girl who was springing to her knees in an attempt to modestly become decent again, completely disregarding her cut-up hand. And with that, she turned on her heels, walking away from her and towards the door.

  
Marnie slowly rose to her feet, attempting to wipe her tears with the back of her hand as she looked down upon the mess and sighed. She wished she had been locked up in hell eternally, dead, fuck, anywhere other than here right now. She closed her eyes, wishing she was in the arms of the man that didn't even love her. 

But when she opened them, she was still in the bar, a thirsty clientele surely getting more upset with her by the second. And with that, she began to attempt to pluck the glass from her pale skin as she went to go find a mop.


	34. Cherubi and Milk Convo (Canon AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally more canon AU shit? hell yeah

"You here to kill me, or. . .?"

Wheeling his chair around and now looking at the person who just walked into the room, Milk cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head playfully. Pulling an exasperated sigh for her, Cherubi simply took a seat a couple over from him, now rummaging through a bag she had brought.

"This is the only room in the ship that doesn't have a smoke alarm."

Milk lit up at this, sitting up in his chair excitedly. "Oh, no way, arson? I never pegged you to be the type, what are we lighting-"

"Oh."

Pulling a pack of cigarettes and looking at him annoyed, she flicked a lighter from her pocket. "Also, front of the ship means the ventilation works best here. Can't you go scamper back into electrical or wherever it is you spend your time?"

Milk watched as she skillfully struck flame on her first try, lighting her ciggy up before slowly taking a drag of it, their eyes meeting as Cherubi awaited a response. "Aww, am I not allowed to hang out wherever I wish? Maybeeeeee I'm just taking a break from tasks here, you may never know!"

She simply shrugged at this. "That's fair, I suppose. Do you smoke?"  
  
Holding out her cigarette box to him, he simply chuckled and gently pulled one out. "I can't refuse a free smoke. Though I gotta admit, I thought you wouldn't smoke these. I thought you'd be one of those people that says they have taste or whatever."

Cherubi chuckled at this, lighting her flame once again as Milk brought his cigarette to his lips and had it lit. "Forcing smoke into your lungs, ultimately, is still forcing smoke into your lungs, regardless of the type."

Milk huffed at this, the feeling of the smoke invading his body caused him to sigh lightly. "I like that, I like that. I like you."

Cherubi raised an eyebrow, a look of disgust crossing her face as she took another drag. "Please don't."

Now looking back out from nav's window, she attempted to shift her focus from the boy next to her to the stars littering the sky. "I didn't see you on the ship's work log. A last-minute transfer, or. . ?" Attempting to change the subject, she began to fiddle with her lighter.

"You can say that."


	35. Prince Childhood Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's a self insert for a reason <3

A racking sob echoed through the barren apartment as the purple-haired boy gentle closed the front door behind him. The elevator had been broken for as long as Prince could remember, and the stairs roped off for a senseless crime that had been committed inside. Climbing up the fire escape each day winded the small boy, and he took a deep breath before quietly approaching his father's room.

Peeking inside, he saw the man sitting hunched over on his bed, and Prince was quick to cringe as he saw what his father was holding. A polaroid of a younger teenage him smiling with a beautiful beaming woman next to him, at a carnival of sorts.

He knew how much he missed her somedays and silently strode up to the weeping man.

". . .Dad?"

The man raised his head, furrowing his brows at the kid. He sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "What do you want, kid?"

Prince only cocked an eyebrow at him, standing in front of him still. "Are you okay?"  
  
The man only scowled at the question, and Prince felt his heart drop. "I'm fine. Go do your homework or something, okay?"

Prince could only uncomfortably shift as his father glared him down, and he stepped back slightly. "If something's wrong, I want to help-"

His father quickly standing caused him to jolt back, taking notice of the man's clenched fists. "Do you not understand me when I tell you to go away?"

The small boy gulped, shaking slightly. He faced confrontations like this a lot, but schoolyard bullies would always be different than his father.

The man brought his hand to Prince's face, and he braced for an impact, only to receive none. He felt his dad pulling his cracked and bent glasses off his face as he slowly closed his eyes, before hearing the man curse.  
  
"God fucking dammit, Prince, you know how long we had to save up for these, and they're already fucking broken!?"

Prince felt himself backing up further, now nearly against the wall. "I know! But it's not my fault, I tried to-"

He was cut off by his father punching the hollow wall next to him, and he squeaked as he felt himself fall to the floor.

"There's no excuse Prince! We aren't made of money and you continue to come back to me with your clothes in tatters and things in ruin. Do you not give a shit??" 

The man kicked him on the ground, and he couldn't stop the tears from starting to fall. He knew attempting to explain wouldn't get him out of this, and he just attempted to rise back to his feet.

"I'm sorry! I just wanted to help you, and I didn't bre-"

_"You can't help me! If you weren't born, she'd still fucking be here, you know that? And this is how you repay me?"_

Another kick to his chest caused him to fall to the floor again, now letting his tears fall freely. He has been hoping, praying he wouldn't bring her up. And yet, here he was.

". . .Just get out of my sight. I have to go to work in an hour, you know what to do for dinner. Now get-" The man kicked him once more, "-Out. Now."

The now bruised purple boy clambered to his feet as he scrambled out of his father's room, stutter-stepping his way down the hall to his "room", a small storage space that had been turned into a room of sorts.

He flopped onto his mattress pad as he stared up at his ceiling, watching as some snowflakes began to fall through and land on his wood floor across the room. His tears fell to the floor as the snowflakes accompanying them melted into the wood.


	36. Milk x Tulip NSFW Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this thing is ancient but my favorite NSFW thing I've written in a looooooooooong time
> 
> not the 4'6 and the 6'4 fucking-

“That kinda hurts, you know.”

Tulip whimpered slightly, a smirk still plastered on her face as she looked down at the pale man below her. His hands firmly gripped her sides, his nails digging into her hips.

“Well shit, what do you want me to grab at, toots? Your huuuuuuuuge mommy milkers?~” He sang out, now bringing his hand up to her chest and using one to lightly pinch and toy with her nipple, the other pretending to grasp at a boob that wasn’t nearly big enough to fill the mock.

Tulip stopped her bouncing, now pointing at him as he slinked his hands back, not wanting to go too far. “Next time, I really should bring your bratty ass a gag.”

She brought her hand to his mouth, covering it jokingly and giggling as he playfully licked the ticklish skin. She pointed her finger, and Milk opened his mouth to allow her to prod around it.

She shoved her hand in his experienced mouth, tugging on his long tongue, poking at his sharp teeth, and going as far back as her small hand could. Still, Milk barely seemed phased by the intrusion, and he simply kept eye contact with her.

“I wonder how much I could stick in before you finally start to gag. You’re probably such a whore that you’re used to this, hm?”

Milk moaned from the degradation, muffled for only a second before she slinked her hand out. He coughed for a slight second before jolting his hips upwards, causing Tulip to grasp at his shoulders again for the support, being snapped back to the reality that she still was riding him.

“-Guess I should bring some rope to keep you still, too. Considering you wanna rut into me like some horny bitch in heat. Just how sensitive are you right now, hm?” She joked, and Milk laughed for a quick second at her taunt.

“Y’know,-“ 

As he began to speak, Tulip began to lightly bounce on him again, causing his breath to hitch in his throat.

“Bold words from the pipsqueak that can’t even sink onto my cock all the way. What, are you so sensitive that it’s too much for you?”  
  
Tulips pout quickly returned, and Milk braced himself as she attempted to sink herself more on his erect cock, and Milk hissed. It still wasn’t enough.

“Don’t forget who’s making you writhe like this, whore. I’ll just use your pretty little mouth to get off and leave your dumbass high and dry. But I bet you’d like that, hm?” 

Milk now made eye contact, cocking an eyebrow. And before she knew it, he brought his hands to her shoulders and pushed her fully into his cock so that their hips now met.

He could practically feel Tulip shudder on top of him as he began to thrust and rut into her, being so much deeper allowing him to hit the gummy part of her pussy that reduced her to a panting mess bouncing from his thrusts on top of him.

“You and I both know that the only reason I’m not bending your tiny ass over and railing you like a fucking train is that I’d break you in half.” Milk panted, cringing slightly as he felt her nails dig deep into his pale skin, surely drawing blood. 

“Oh yeah, oh fuck, thinking of how I’d split ya’ in two is gonna make me spill, babydoll.”

Tulip gritted her teeth, upset for losing her top position as she allowed him to bounce her on his cock like a rag doll.

“Fuck you.” She practically stubbornly spat, having to hold in her moans, refusing to give Milk the satisfaction.

He smirked up at her, now bringing his hand to his mouth, licking the pad of his thumb before bringing it to her clit, lightly circling it as he continued to rut his dick as deep as he could into the far too petite girl.

“Hate to break it to ya’, Tutu. . .” He gasped, feeling her pussy convulse and start to clench around his cock, her girlish moans helping to further push him towards his edge.

“. . .-But you already are.”


	37. Oleana x Self Insert Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna act like "Mari" isn't legit just me
> 
> Anyways I'm whipped for this woman, and after playing the game? I think I like her more than Rose now actually lmao

". . .Ollie?"

The taller woman only hauled a small bag over her shoulder, turning to face her. "Where are you going?"

Oleana's eyes were filled with far too much determination to settle Mari's nerves. "There was another sighting."

Mari felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach and sighed. "Ollie, not again. . ." She tried to lace her voice with concern, but it was more disappointment. Oleana clenched a fist.

"No, this one feels different, it feels worth looking into! Please, I need to go find him-"

"-I'm not letting you go run yourself wild trying to chase after someone in jail, Oleana! Listen, I'm just as frustrated as you, it's bullshit that they pushed his court date back more, but the false sightings are just that, false."

She felt tears welling at her eyes. Oleana stayed silent at this, before simply sighing.

"Where is this one, Oleana?"

She stayed silent for a long time, and Mari simply assumed she wouldn't answer. 

". . .The Isle of Armor. But this feels genuine, and I need to check. Why can't you understand that? The chairman-"

"Ex-chairman." She cut in, and Oleana furrowed her eyebrows. 

"Why are you so upset over this? Don't you understand that if he's in danger, I need to help? It's my job."

"No, it's not! He's stepped down, you're not obliged to chase after his every need anymore! At this point, you're doing it just because you want to, Oleana."

"Besides, you going and freezing in the Isle isn't good for you! Don't you understand that I'm trying to protect you, too? Why can't you see that?"

She glared icily, and Mari felt herself feel sick. 

"I don't need your protection."

Kick to the gut #1.

"And if it is true? If he's freezing out there, trying to run from the false justice they're trying to put him under? How on earth do you think I'd let myself live with that?"  
  
"No, you don't understand!" Raising her voice, she felt the tears start to fall. "Look, I miss him too. A lot. But I'm upset because you're killing yourself for him!"

"Oleana, I love you. Don't you get that? And yet, you run wild trying to save his ass! Forgive me if it feels like you don't care about what I'm saying or how I feel."

". . .I'm not just a consolation prize because you couldn't get him, Ollie. Is that all you think of me as?"

Oleana was silent.

Then, she sighed.

"I'm going to go find him. I'm going to bring him back."

And before Mari could retort, Ollie closed the door behind her.


	38. Bella's Performance (AC Drabble)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I start a coherent story about my island I'll make a separate book for it, but have this drabble for now <3

"Hey, what's. . ."

". . .Going on?"

The Island Rep cocked an eyebrow, looking at Bella. Fauna sat beside her, shifting slightly on her stone stool. Diana sat beside the fellow deer, looking at the bonfire placed before them.

"Take a seat, take a seat! The show's about to start!"

"Show?" The Island Rep parroted, and Fauna nodded. "Mhm! Bella's putting on a show for everyone! I hope the invitations sent out to everyone though arrived timely. . .I put a ton of work into making them visually appealing. . ."

She trailed off, and the Island Rep took a seat on the log bench opposite Bella across the bonfire. 

"K.K. coming to perform inspired me to finally do my own acoustic set!"

Diana blanked. "I thought it was just a vocals show, I didn't know you could play guitar. . ."

"I can't! But _she_ can!"

As Bella said this, Mira cheerily strode up, sitting on the other side of Bella. "Hey all, are we about to start? I'm already tuned."

Holding her guitar, she beamed at Bella. "It's been so long since I last played, so thanks for letting me play for you!"

The mouse grinned widely, giggling. "Not a problem!"

It didn't take long for Ricky to walk up, hopping on a log stump beside Mira. "Hey man," Mira said as a welcome, and the somewhat reclusive squirrel gave a small wave back.

"Hey. Who are we waiting for?"

"Hmm. . ." Fauna trailed off, bringing her hand to her chin. "Well, I invited the twins, but they didn't wanna leave the shop or lock-up early. Same with Mr. Nook and Ms. Isabelle. And this late, both Able sisters are already asleep, so. . .just Apollo and Zucker, right?"

"Did you invite the new neighbor?"

"Yeah, he didn't have a mailbox set up yet, so I went to his home to ask. He said he was flattered by the invite but was still terribly busy unpacking and all."

  
Bella pouted slightly. "I kinda understand, I remember how hard it was to move all my stuff in." She shuddered slightly, before quickly swapping her frown with a grin. "But, oh well! I'll just perform for him another time!"

"Preform for who?"

Sitting on the stone stool beside the Island Rep, Apollo cocked an eyebrow at Bella. "The new neighbor!"

"Huh. Someone already moved into Hans's plot?" 

"Mhm!" The Island Rep said, nodding slightly. "You should go and say hi tomorrow when he's fully moved in, he seems incredibly friendly." 

The island rep offered Apollo a gentle smile, already knowing he would be hesitant to try to make a new friend. Apollo nodded slightly in response. "Will do, kiddo. Will do."

_'Huh. Kinda expected him to ask what species they are first like he did with Diana. . .he was really paranoid that it was a species afraid of eagles, after all. . .'_

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Zucker sat on the log bench beside the Island Rep, slinging his backpack from over his shoulder. "I brought snacks for everyone! Quiet to eat ones too, so we don't disturb the artist!" He exclaimed happily, taking out a donut box and passing it to the Island Rep. 

"Thanks, Zucks." They said gratefully, not sure how he kept obtaining food other than the native fruits here, especially since donuts weren't sold from any of the island stores. . .

"Mhm! No prob, bloop!"

Taking a donut and passing the box to Apollo next to them, they turned to look at everyone. Talking happily among themselves, all seemingly happy. Bella, Fauna, and Diana talked, and the Island Rep beamed, happy that Diana and Bella seemed to be getting along for once.

They looked to Mira, who was happily talking with Ricky while picking a string on her guitar every once in a while. Mira had been easily the most upset over Hans leaving, and it made the Rep incredibly happy that she seemed to be moving on from it.  
  
The bonfire crackled before them, and though it was an incredibly cold winter evening, their little space was well lit, warm, and happy. 

The Island Rep smiled gently, happy with the safe and happy environment they had helped to create. Contempt, they took a bite of their donut, and Bella cleared her throat once everyone not performing had a pastry.

The chatter died down, and the small mouse beamed. "Okay! I'll be starting us out tonight with an acoustic rendition of Fauna's favorite song, K.K Stroll! I'll be taking requests throughout the performance, too!"

She nodded at Mira, taking a deep breath. The rabbit snapped her fingers thrice, nodding each time and aligning herself with a beat.

She started playing the gentle chords to the easygoing song, slightly humming along. Bella started a countdown, taking a deep breath as she did. Everyone seemingly leaned in closer out of apprehension, ready to hear the melody between the two.

A deep, strangled growl came out of the metal-loving mouse, and she started to scream out the gentle lyrics in the deepest voice she could muster. She was smiling wildly, looking easily the happiest she had in weeks.


	39. Prince and Arlo Fight (Prince's RP Parts) Canon))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, if parts seem to be missing, it's because these are just Prince's parts of the RP, and the other character's involved in the RP's parts aren't included.
> 
> Ft. Milk coddling him at the end, ew

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen the red-clad boy storming towards him. It was the stomping he heard first, slowly turning to see him approaching. ' _Ah, an in-person argument? So maybe he isn’t a coward.'_

A smirk gracing his face, he cocked his eyebrow and prepared a taunt. Until he realized Arlo was far too close for comfort, and his fist was already starting to swing. 

It wasn’t like he hadn’t taken a hit before. It had been years, though, and all defense instincts left his body as he felt his fist connect with the bridge of his nose.

He stumbled back, immediately bringing his hand to his face. The bridge of his glasses crooked and close to snapping, the lense of one forming a crack. 

He felt a warm substance start to drip from his nose- blood, no doubt. He took a step further back, surveying his surroundings. Some of his crew-mates looked astonished, some beaming. 

And for one terrible, awful moment, he was dragged back to the playground, knocked to the ground behind his schoolyard. His new pair of glasses his father had saved so hard and long for, shattered. His bully mockingly calling him “princess”, towering over the small statured boy. His cheeky eyes replaced by Arlo's rage-filled ones brought him back as he shook his head and clenched his fist. Oh well. He wasn’t looking for a fight, but he wouldn’t hesitate.

But the brutality of fists was never his forte. He whipped his hand to the table, grabbing his teacup and dumping the contents onto the table. It could be dealt with later.

“You’re so fucking dead, you don’t even know it.” He spat, venom dripping from his voice as he raised the teacup over his head and brought it down upon Arlos. 

The shrill crack of the shattering cup, and the pieces of it drilling into both Arlo's scalp and Prince's hand caused him to beam. Fighting dirty was much more fun, and got his point across better, after all.

\- - - - -

He had tried to calm himself. He really did. Tried reminding himself that he was beneath him, that after this he could just file a report and have him fired, his name tarnished and dragged through the mud. But something had also snapped in the purple-haired boy, and we wasn’t yet ready to go down without a fight.

Now it was his turn to charge at him, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him up, face to face.

“No. It’s not all. All I gotta do is say some petty little words to you and you come running looking for a fight. It’s laughable how pathetic you are.” 

Now whirling him around and dropping him, he shoved him to the ground, delivering a harsh kick to his ribs before he could get up. 

“You’ll never beat me. You’ll never even be close to being as good as me.” He spat, now delivering a kick to the white-haired boy's face, knocking the crown off in the process. 

It slowly rolled towards his crewmates, and he looked up and met eyes with some of them. The horror on Kayanas face, the suspense on Ciaras, the tears flooding to Eli’s, the dead seriousness of Milks. Prince could only sneer at this, delivering one more kick to the boy's ribs, one to his groin, and one more to his head, hoping a ceramic shard from the mug was forced farther in. He backed up, and Arlo only continued to get up as well.

_“You never know when to quit, do you? Well, come on then. Why don’t you try putting me in the place you think I should be? Don’t bore me too much, mutt.”_

_\- - - - -_

All feeling had left his arm, and he feebly attempted to lift his head. All he could see were his crewmate's feet, his head being held too far down. It was getting harder to breathe, as he gritted his teeth. This wasn't supposed to happen. . . 

It had been so long since he'd last had someone fight him like this, though he didn't suppose he could take the victim role this time. Arlo tightening his grip once more and slamming his head further onto the ground caused him to be jolted from his thoughts violently.

He could feel the glass from his shattered glasses digging into his face, blood pooling from his face. He was sure at least one of his ribs had taken a fair amount of damage, and his arm was surely out of socket.

He was immobilized. His mouth was dry, and he couldn't form a coherent sentence at this point. All he could taste was his metallic blood as he feebly coughed. He was seeing dark spots.

_"''m the one in power here, goddamnit. I'm supposed to win, to be better-'_

Then, he could see white boots step forward, and Milk crouch so they could make eye contact. Though blurry, he could still make out the pale boys' look of. . .contempt? A gentle smile crossed his face, but the glint in his eyes was far from innocent.

He had tried to do the one thing he thought he wouldn't; To plea for help. Beg for Milk to intervene. For him to save him. But he couldn't form words. He could only cough once more, as his vision failed him completely. The last thing he saw was Milk tilting his head, and puckering up as to blow him a kiss. 

_"God. . .damnit. . ."_

He fell limp in Arlo's arms, passing out from the lack of oxygen intake. A tear dropped from his closing swollen eye, falling to the ground and mixing with his pooling blood.

\- - - - -

Milk stepped forward, now looming over Athena. "I dunno, should we take 'im to medbay? At least after Arlo leaves." He questioned, looking over Prince's crumpled body. Upon gaining only silence from her, he shrugged, kneeling down and scooping up his small form into his arms without a problem. "Fine, I'll take him to his room. But when he wakes up he ought to go to the 'bay and at least get checked out. I don't like how his arms' lookin'." He said, noting how it hung limply. He turned his head once more, looking to where Prince's crown lay, right beside a small blood puddle. He could come back for it later.

Now walking away from the group, he looked behind. Looked like Athena was gonna slowly trail behind, either not trusting Milk alone with Prince's unconscious body or just airing on the side of caution and wanting to help. 

He chuckled lightly at this, knowing his height would contribute to her falling slightly behind anyways. He then looked down at Prince in his arms, noting for the first time that his face wasn't forming an expression of disgust or disdain, nor the cocky smirk it normally held. His right eye was swollen, glass was still digging into his skin, and his eyebrows were unfurrowed. A melancholic look was sprawled across it, and for a second it almost hurt Milk to see. It was so. . .unsettling to see him like this.

He quickly shook it off, gently chuckling at the purple-haired boy's situation again. "Y'know," he began quietly, "I'd almost think you were tryna' ask for my help back there. That's somethin' I thought I'd never see, you know. . .You actually wanting, needin' me. . ."

Of course, Prince didn't answer nor stir. And for a second, Milk thought that his bleeding, bruised face was actually kind of pretty. In a sad, tragicomic way.

"You really are pathetic, ya' know that?" Shaking his head, Milk had no clue who he was addressing, himself or Prince. "Let's get you to bed, doll."  
  
\- - - - -  
  


“Ah, good! I thought you fucking died for a second there.”

His eyes shooting open, Prince simply looked up to the white-clad man towering over him. Annoyance immediately entered his mind.

“Where’s Arlo?”

“Probably asleep, it’s kinda late-“

With that, Prince attempted to get up but was immediately halted by him not being able to put pressure on his arm. He squeaked like a mouse in pain from his ribs as he attempted to sit up, causing Milk to chuckle slightly. 

“You’re not gonna be able to get up yet, Athena says she thinks your ribs are cracked-“

“I don’t give a shit.” Being cut off once more, Prince turned his gaze to his bedside table to see his busted glasses on it. He growled, the reminder of the beat down settling in. 

“We need to take you to medbay so you don’t get worse. You can try to kick his ass after.” Milk said as gently as possible, getting closer to Prince's bed.

There was a moment's silence. Then, with a defeated sigh, Prince silently shook his head to show he understood. 

“How long was I passed out for?” He slowly said, bringing a hand to his face. The glass digging into it was gone, and a bandaid was already slapped over his nose. 

“Hm? A couple of hours at least.” Milk shrugged, now scooping up Prince once more, though this time with some retaliation.

“What in fucks name do you think you’re doing? I can walk.” He uttered, refusing to make eye contact with the albino boy.  
  
“Whatever you say, pretty boy.” With that, Milk set him down feet first, and Prince immediately swayed and fell into Milks side, letting out another high pitched squeak as he did so. He huffed in embarrassment. Walking was extremely painful.

“After we wrap your ribs it should be easier for you to walk.” Milk consoled, now crouching slightly and offering his arms once more. Prince could only sneer. “Fine. Take me.”

A smirk crossed Milks' face as he picked him up once more, this time a bit more gently due to the leverage. “That’s what she said. . .”

“Shut the fuck up.” 

As Milk began to walk out with him, he caught a glimpse of the two in his mirror. His crown nowhere to be seen, his cuts look like they had been cleaned, though he had a rather large one on his cheek he prayed wouldn’t scar. He could only imagine how bad that’d look for his image. . .

Milk took notice of his looking, now gently smiling into the mirror. Prince refused to meet eyes with him through it.

“You’re really light, even for your height. Do you eat enough?” 

“Yes. I do. I don’t need an interrogation, just take me to the MedBay already.” 

Prince had never felt more emasculated in his life, being nestled in Milks arms like a baby. Refusing to meet his reflection in the mirror anymore, he turned his head into Milks chest, unintentionally getting closer. 

“Then let’s go, doll.”


	40. Island Rep Pining for Tom Nook Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Racoon DILF awooga awooga

The gentle hum of the Resident Services' ceiling fan lulled the island representative out of their passed-out state, and they blinked rapidly as their eyes attempted to adjust to the bright light.

_"Hng. . ."_ Bringing a hand to their face, they were somewhat shocked to feel no swelling or bumps. _'Why aren't I at my front door. . .and why is my face cured. . .'_

"Finally up, hm?" Sitting up on the floor, the Island Rep turned their head to see Mr. Nook approach, looking somewhat exasperated.

". . .Why am I not at my door?" The somewhat taller racoon sighed, taking a seat on his wheel-bottomed chair. "Have a seat, have a seat." The Island rep scrambled to their feet, trying to step over the counter to get back to the side with the construction counter stool. "You can sit on the counter, yeah?" The Island Rep did just that, no longer attempting to leap over.

"Uh. . .what's up?" The raccoon rubbed his temples. "Now, I'm greatly appreciative that you're taking measures to improve the look of our wonderful island paradise! However. . ." The Island Rep cocked an eyebrow as he leaned over slightly. "You've been getting stung an awful lot in the past few days, and medicating doesn't seem to be your biggest concern, hm? We all know what happens if we get stung twice in a row."

"It's in your contract that Nook Inc. cares greatly about the safety of our beloved islanders, and we can't have the liability of passed out representatives being left in the elements." "We don't have many options at our disposal in terms of getting hurt residents to safety. . .I'm getting older, kid. My back can only take so much of carrying a person so many times a day, regardless of size or weight. So. . .could you do me a favor and try to take a tad more care of yourself, hm?"

The Island Rep could only blank at this. "Uh. . .sorry, Mr. Nook. . ."

They sheepishly attempted to apologize, thankful that Tom seemed to think that they were unaware that they knew the man was the one carrying them back to their home after each attack. He also didn't seem to notice that the Island Rep wasn't always completely passed out, getting stung so many times in succession built up a tad of a resistance. It was nice, whenever they were conscious for it. Sure, they were definitely dazed and out of it, not completely able to understand what was going on. But they could still feel being picked up by the somewhat strong man, held against his swelled chest as he carried them back, occasionally scolding them for their carelessness despite thinking they were unaware of it. It was. . . nice, to have him care like that, and they hoped that the older gentleman did it out of genuine care rather than a contractual obligation.

"No need to apologize! In the future, just do me a favor and take some medication as soon as you can, hm? I trust that you know how to make it, and we always have it available in the shop." The Island Rep nodded, still feeling somewhat guilty for prompting this conversation.

"I gave you a dose after this last attack, and no need to fret, I didn't bill you for it. Consider it a "thank you" gift from Nook Inc. for caring so much about our island's beautification! We couldn't have had Mr. Slider here to perform without it, and I trust you'll keep up the amazing work!"


	41. Illunga visits AC AU OC Village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my chicken soup wasn't as good as I was hoping

"Ili! Ili-" The visiting girl turned her head, taking a small step back as the ball of energy bolted up to her. She'd become pretty friendly with the blonde bear cub over the past couple of days, and the girl stopped before her, panting slightly from her sprint. "Hey, so, um. . .can I ask for a favor?"

Ili could only cock an eyebrow at the question, nodding somewhat hesitantly. "Yeah, what's up?" Tulip gave a smile at this, though guilt still somewhat laced her features.

"Well, Brookie and I kinda had an argument, and I wanted to apologize, but she already said she didn't wanna see me, so can you deliver this present for me? Pretty please?" Illunga watched as she passed her a wrapped box, and took it gently, slipping it in her backpack. "Of course I can. Leave it to me." Tulip beamed at this. "Thank you so so much! Could you deliver it by the end of the day? I really appreciate it!" She finished her sentence yelling over her shoulder as she bolted away once more, and Ili had to stop herself from shaking her head at the girl's hyperactivity. She made sure to make a metal note to deliver the package as she started to resume her walk towards the store.

Sure, many of the villagers there had been more than friendly, providing the visiting girl with supplies, but she still needed to eat. She _was_ getting somewhat sick of oranges, though. . .

A net thwacking her on the head snapped her out of her thoughts, and she quickly took on an annoyed expression as she turned to face her assailant. "Uh. . , you've got a butterfly on your head. . .they sell well. . ." Sunny tried to explain, quickly placing the bug into a small plexiglass case.

"Still, I'm sorry about that, shine." "Oh, it's fine." She brought her hand to her head where the butterfly had apparently been chilling. "Are you bug-catching right now?" Sunny shook his head, a relaxed smile on his face. "Nah, just saw it and went for it. You heading to the store?"

Ili nodded. "Yeah, but I'm wondering if I should head to Brook's place first, Tulip asked me to get a package to her." Sunny blinked at this. "Huh. Now that you mention it, they _did_ have an argument yesterday. . .makes sense."

"Well, I'll let you go, sorry again for the net thing. See ya', shine."

The rabbit walked away, net slung over his shoulder and ears slightly bouncing with each step. Sure, the island was certainly filled with. . . _colorful_ characters, but Sunny always seemed pretty chill, she hadn't a problem with him.

She continued her walk across the island towards the shop, looking up towards the hill beside her. The blue-haired deer she had become pretty friendly with sat on a bench on top of it, beside his bear boyfriend. Both seemed pretty happy, taking bites of donuts and talking to one another, all smiles. Illunga somewhat smiled at the sight, wondering where they had even gotten the donuts from.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she ran into someone, and she looked from the hill to face front as she stumbled back slightly. The goat caught her by her shoulders, easily towering over her. "Woah there, don't fall over, innocent." She nearly sighed a breath of relief as he let go of her. "Watchin' the lovebirds, aye? Ya' should move into our hill, innocent. Watch em' with me more often an' all."

"Do you make a habit of just. . .watching them? And I wasn't like watching watching them, I just saw them. . ." Milk chuckled at this. "You can say I do, kinda'. Not in a creepy way or anythin', they're just. . ."

"Visually appealin'. And whatever you say, kiddo. I'll be seein' ya', innocent."

He continued his walk towards where Ili had come from, and she noticed that he was holding a net of his own.

She pulled her net from her bag, realizing that if she was on her way to the shop, she might as well catch whatever she came across for a quick buck.

"Hey, Ili!" She turned as Marcus approached her, the sheep smiling gently. "Hey, have you seen Sunny around, breadwinner? I caught the sea bass he was lookin' for, but he might as well have vanished." Ili nodded. "Yeah! He didn't say where he was going but he did head towards the museum just a couple of minutes ago."

The blonde man smiled gratefully at this. "Thank you so much! Also, while I'm here," He turned to grab his bag from his shoulder. "Here, I picked this up for you, man! I hope you like it!" Ili blushed slightly as he handed her a donut box. "I know you said you were still wondering where they were from, so I asked if Kanaya could make some for you. . .I tried but they burned up a lot. . ."

"Aww, you shouldn't have, Marc! Thank you! Do you by chance know where Kanaya is? I wanna thank her for it too."

He nodded slightly. "No prob! She's fishing with Ci right now on the east shore if you're looking to fish today! That's where I got my bass." With that, the sheep walked off, giving her a gentle wave as he went.

\- - -

“What’s. . .going on?”

Cherubi let out a gentle sigh beside Ili, watching the scene unfolding before them.

“You know what? If you’re going to be like this, fine, it isn’t worth it. Just take it.”

“Your victimhood is atrocious, and it doesn’t frame you to be the better person.”

“I’m not trying to manipulate you! I really don’t care that much, just take it. I don’t care.”

Ili already felt herself becoming drained at the sight. The squirrel beside her shrugged gently. “Limited items here sometimes do this. . .but it’s literally a toilet, mhm. . .”

The two raccoon boys watched the bickering from the front of the store, seemingly trying to stay out of it.

“Why do you both want it so bad. . .” Illunga almost instantly regretted her words as the glasses-wearing cat shot her a glare. “This isn’t a “want”, for me anyway.”

“Oh my fucking god, you already said yourself that Marcus patched the crack in its bowl. Mine can’t even flush without flooding the bathroom. Get perspective.”

He rolled his eyes at the koala. “Oh, yes, I was going to give you the toilet. However it doesn’t negate what you said, and I expect an apology.” Cherubi cocked an eyebrow. “What did she even-“

“She said I have a urinal, then jeered that if “my ass wasn’t too fat”, I could fit in and shit in it.”

Illunga couldn’t stop herself from snorting at this, and Athena rolled her eyes at him. “Fine, I’m sorry I called your ass fat. Happy?”

The purple-haired cat still let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“Um,” Cherubi spoke up. “I have an extra toilet, it has a flower design painted on the lid, but it’s new. . .I’ll give it to whoever doesn’t buy this toilet, mhm.” Athena perked up. “How many bells would you want for it?”

“I’ll give it to you for free, it’s just been gathering dust in storage. Is that okay with you, Prince?” The cat nodded, walking away to inquire the two raccoon boys about buying it. “Yes, it’s alright. Thank you. . .”

Ilunga looked back to Athena and she took a step down from the display case.

“Ili, while you’re here, I wanted to invite you to our sleepover tonight.”

Ili looked over to Cherubi, holding a teacup she had picked up and inspected. “Mhm, I’ll be hosting. All 6 of the girls on the island are coming, and you’re free to extend the invite to Seana, mhm.”

“Yeah. . .last time we tried to have one, Kanaya invited Eli, and when Sunny realized it he got pissy that Eli would be invited to a girls sleepover over him. So no guys this time.”

“Oh, okay. . .uh, what time does is start?”

“I’ll be somewhat starting it at 8, but you’re free to come over whenever you like! I promise I won’t make you help me set up, mhm.” Illunga looked to Athena, who smiled gently at her. “I’m bringing snacks too, do you wanna come to pick some out with me?” Ili nodded, feeling a tad more excited for later. “Sure thing, I’d love to go!”

Cherubi lit up. “Excellent! Athena, make sure you come to see me to get that toilet in a bit. I’m gonna head out, mhm.” The squirrel walked towards checkout, bushy tail swishing behind her. Athena smiled too. “Well, don’t tell her I told you, but Brookie and Kanaya kinda came to us asking if we could do this. ‘Thought maybe it’d make you feel a bit more welcome here.” Illunga looked down to the shorter girl as they began to walk the idle, heading for the cabinet at the end.

“Oh! That’s. . .that’s really nice of you guys to do. . .” Athena shrugged slightly. “Eh, it was the least we could do. Uh. . .” She looked to the cabinet of snacks before her. “Pick whatever you want, I’ll buy.”


	42. Eileen and Pearl Drabble (Pokemon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eileen belongs to Sea, go check them out @JustThatOneNerd <3

Opal's home had always been a cute little thing. Not small, but not garishly large either. Just big enough to seem charming, but not cramped. Little pink and white flowers were planted around the house, undoubtedly Opal's gentle handiwork. Pearl always thought the cottage was adorable, especially compared to the other gym leaders' homes she'd visited before. Some were extravagant and large, such as Melony's, some small but not entirely her style, like Nessa's. Some disorganized and cramped, like Piers, though she had to admit that the Spikemuth style was a comforting one she missed.

She knocked on the wooden door, looking down the street as she waited for a response before shooting a look to her beloved Corviknight, perched upon the roof. He was eating berries from the tree next to the structure, and she sharply whistled, afraid he'd startle whichever pokemon happened to reside within it. He stopped, and she pulled a pecha berry from her bag, winding back and tossing it to the bird.

"Don't take from others, Dark Age."

She turned her attention back to the door as she heard the doorknob rattle, putting a small gentle smile on her face as she prepared to greet either Opal or Eileen.

". . .What do you want."

She quickly dropped her smile as she looked at the boy that opened the door. "Bede! Hey. . .uh, is Eileen home?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she noticed she hadn't removed his hand from the door handle.

"Yeah."

"May I come in to visit her?" Bede was silent for a second before sighing, stepping aside to allow her entry into their home. "Thank you, Bede." Again, he stayed silent, simply retreating to the couch on the other side of the living area. "Eileen! You got someone here to see you!"

She stood at the front door, closing it gently behind her. Sure, she'd normally be comforted by the familiar place, but Bede's presence interrupted that.

"So. . .do you live with Ms. Opal and Eileen right now-" "Please, don't speak to me." She flinched slightly at his tone, but understood it. "Comin', hold on, who is it BeBe?" She heard her friend's voice from upstairs, and Bede kept his gaze on the floor as he sat. "Pearl. Hurry up."

Eileen's footsteps could be heard as she walked across the wooden floor upstairs. "Okay, hold on. . .don't tell me to "hurry up", too."

Bede just grunted in reply as the girl walked down the stairs. "Hey, what's goin' on?" She slung her bag from over her shoulder. "Hey, can I ask for a favor? I'll pay you back. . ."

Eileen quickly realized what she meant with repayment and she heard the clang of cans in her friend's bag. "Whaddya need me to do?"

"Can you dye my hair? I already got the dye, but I need help. . ."

Eileen gave her an exasperated look. "You came all this way from Wyndon just to ask me to dye your hair?"

"I'm down bad, please can you help me with this?" "Yeah, sure. What color are we goin' for?"

  


She walked towards the kitchen table, beckoning for Pearl to follow her. "Black."

". . .I think you'd look kind of ugly with black, man." Pearl cringed slightly at the girl's honesty as she pulled the dye from her bag, setting it on the table.

"Not to be mean, I just don't think it suits your features that well."

"Yeah. . .I get what you mean, but I really wanna go black. Um. . .do you wanna risk getting dye on your table?" The girl shrugged. "Eh, I'll be careful. BeBe can just clean it up later."

"Am not." Eileen shrugged at the retort. "Mhm. Don't you have homework or somethin' to do?"

"I'm rewatching Gloria and Kabu's match. . ." This peaked Pearl's interest. "Gloria? The gym challenger? She's doing really well, I think she's facing Raihan tomorrow."

Bede stayed silent at this, and Pearl sat down at the table as Eileen sorted through her bag, grabbing out a can before inspecting it. "Huh, you got the good stuff, nice."

"Is Ms. Opal here?" Pearl asked, somewhat worried that the older woman wouldn't be too pleased that she was slipping her niece alcohol. "Yeah, but she's already asleep. It _is_ 8\. . ."

Turning over and inspecting the dye, she became slightly confused. "You sure this is the right color? It doesn't have a label."

"Mhm! I got it delivered to my apartment before I left." Eileen shrugged, tying her hair back. "Okay. Just gonna let you know, I've never dyed hair before. You still want me to do this?"

"Yeah, just try your best! I'm sure it'll look great!" Eileen nodded, setting down the bottle before walking further into the kitchen, popping a can open as she went. "K', lemme' get a bowl." "There's an applying brush in my bag. . ." The blonde girl sorted through her bag again, pulling the brush out as Eileen returned.

"So, I just put it in the bowl and apply it, yeah?" Pearl nodded, watching as Eileen started to pour. White goop spilled out, coating the bottom of the bowl. "I was told the dye might not look black until it's set in hair. . ."

Eileen swirled the bowl, giggling slightly as the white goop jiggled. "Really?" Pearl asked, already know what she was doing. "Sorry, sorry," Eileen said, picking up the brush. "What, you wish that was Piers at you, huh?" Pearl joked back, and Eileen rolled her eyes.

"Very funny. Don't even get me started. Do we need to wet your hair?" Pearl shook her head. "Nope, it just said to apply it." Eileen took a sip of her beer, setting the can down before holding the bowl once more, "Alright, I'm just gonna get started. You gonna stay the night out this way?"

Pearl cringed slightly as she felt the goop splat on her head as Eileen started to apply it. "Nah, I'm gonna head back home, I have work tomorrow still. I don't have to go in too early because of the championship tournament, though."

"How's your work going? Got any new assignments coming up?" She couldn't turn her head to see it, but Eileen nodded. "Yep, actually got one tomorrow at 2. Gonna actually head to Spikemuth after though, promised Piers that I'd go to his show tomorrow. After losing to the gym challengers that he did, he said he "had to show his disappointment with himself through song" or somethin'."

"Sounds like him," Pearl said, squinting as the taller girl began to coat her bangs with the dye. "Did Marnie say she was gonna go? Tomorrow's the deadline for battling the 8 gym leaders, and Marnie hasn't finished the challenge yet. . ."

"Nah, I haven't talked to her about it. Reckon she won't though, Piers told me he's gonna head to Wyndon after his performance to support her in the finals." "It's nice to see that he's confident that she'll make it that far, though I can see why he would, she is extremely talented. . ."

Eileen let out an "mhm" at this. "So, are you gonna head to Wyndon too? Maybe go with him?"

  


Eileen chuckled. "I don't know about _that_."

"Aww, come on! If Piers doesn't have a hotel already, I could probably get him and you a better rate. But _only_ if you promise you'll be staying with him~"

"Yeah, now I definitely don't know about that."

Pearl sighed. "Oh well. Not my fault you wanna skip out on the best chance you'll get to get out to the big city with him."

"He loathes Wyndon, he's just goin' to support Marnie. . ."

Pearl blinked at her tone. "Well, I'm sure he'd like to go and explore it with you! You two are really good friends, after all."

"I guess so."

"I can't tell if you're not picking up what I'm setting down, or if you're just ignoring it. C'mon, you should try to ask him out while you're there!"

"Eh, I'll pass. Maybe some other time." Pearl shrugged slightly, trying not to disturb the girl still trying to apply the dye to her long hair. "Well, maybe I could set you up with someone else, if the problem is Piers himself. Rai's still single, you know. He's pretty charming. Milo too!"

Eileen set down the bowl. "I think I got it all. And nah, when I do ask out Piers, I don't want it to be in a place like Wyndon."

Pearl playfully pouted. "It's not _that_ bad of a city."

"The old bastard basically designed it, of course you wouldn't think it's that bad."

Pearl looked towards Bede, who kept his gaze trained on the TV. She didn't respond to his claim. "Do you like Piers, Bede?"

"He's one of the few gym leaders I _do_ respect."

"Ah. . .I see. . ."

Eileen took another sip of her beer, heading to the sink to wash whatever dye she had gotten on her hands off. "Here, I'm gonna let it sit, then we'll wash it out, K'?"

"Okay, thank you so much for the help, man." Eileen nodded, taking a seat beside her "It's no problem. So. . .why black?" Pearl shrugged slightly.

"Just thought it'd look nice. . ."

"Bullshit, c'mon, why are you actually doin' this?" Pearl cocked an eyebrow at this, shooting a quick look back towards Bede. He didn't seem to be paying attention anymore to the two's convo.

". . .Ollie's type, it seems to be tall and dark, yeah?"

"Oh. . .she doesn't seem to have a visual type, no." Pearl sighed. "Well, I'd like to think it might help my chances. . ."

"You're kinda pathetic, you know that?"

Pearl looked back to Bede. "Yeah, I know. You don't need to jeer at my suffering, kiddo."

"Makes my own day a little bit better, though."


End file.
